What To Do On Your First Date

Whether or not you read my last post, How to Get Him to Notice You, you and that special someone may be ready for your first date. Typically, it’s considered the guy’s responsibility to come up with the first date, but I’m sure he’d be wonderfully surprised if you had something in mind too. The first date can seem scary because there’s so much pressure, and it seems like a million and one things can go wrong. But trust and believe from someone who has been on enough first dates of her own, (but not too many LOL), it’s much easier if you just try to have fun. That’s the whole point! It’s not about how much money is spent or how unusual the date is. It’s about you and him having fun together. With that being said, here is some advice for a fun first date.

Keep it simple and inexpensive – Like I said, it’s not about money and how much everything costs. With this economy and at your age, no one is ballin like Kobe so don’t worry about spending so much money. If one person ends up spending too much money, it might make the other feel uncomfortable anyway.

Do something that you’d both like – If you pick something that only you like, he might not have fun and vice versa. On future dates, compromise will be important, but for now, everything should be about the two of you.

Plan as much as you can but also leave room for improvisation. You never know how he’ll react to the date or what else might be going on that day. You might pass by a park with a concert going on that you had no idea about, but that you know you’d both enjoy.

Don’t do too much – The point of the date is to get to know each other better, not impress the other person by showing them how many good ideas you can come up with all at once. Besides, if you do too much on the first date, what will you do on the second one?

It’s the little things – It’s not always about what you’re doing, but how you’re doing it. Some of my favorite dates were, yes, things that I’ve never done before, but what I remember the most are the little things that he did to show me how he felt. Things like grabbing my hand in the middle of the date, giving me a compliment on something other than my outfit, or even a little hug from behind :) Don’t be afraid to do something to show you’re having a good time. Guys need feedback, especially if they took a lot of time to plan something special. It’s ok to grab his hand, or lean on his shoulder if that’s how you feel. Read his body chemistry too though and it should be easy to figure out how he’s feeling too.

Here are some things I had fun doing:

Racecar driving – I’m an athletic girl and I love to compete, so when my guy took me on a surprise date to drive cars, I was game.

The beach – Grab a bite to eat and spend some time relaxing at the beach. There are always lots of people and activities going on.

Picnic – Depending on how close you are, (hopefully you’re good friends), a picnic is a really good idea because it’ll give you time to get to know each other even more. Pick somewhere with good scenery so you can enjoy more than each other.

Concert at the park – It’s summer so there are plenty of things going on outside. Go online and search for things going on in your area.

Museum – Tavis Smiley recently had an exhibit called America I Am about the contribution of African Americans in our country. Museums might sound boring at first, but if you do your research and find a good exhibit, or if you see something he might like, you would definitely have a lot to talk about.

Now all you have to do is figure out what to wear! Laugh at his bad jokes and thank him for a good time. Remember, don’t take it too seriously and just have fun!

-- Brittany Allen
Brownstone Intern