Blind Dates

Blind dating is not for the faint-hearted. Whilst in any dating scenario there is huge scope for embarrassment or disappointment, blind dating in particular requires bravery, light-heartedness, and above all, a good sense of humour...
 
But it's worth bearing in mind that blind dates are more common than ever. After all, if you meet someone on an internet dating site, or via one of the dating services, you're still essentially 'going in blind', however much communication you've had.
 
So what are the tips for a successful blind dating experience? Definitely try to get a bit of email banter going on beforehand, or even better, see if you can't have a chat on the phone. Get googling, or chatting to whatever friends you've got in common - doing a bit of research can help give you some pointers about where to lead the conversation on the date, and alleviate the fear of 'drying up'. Lots of blind dates are set up by mates, which gives you the security of knowing that the other person probably isn't a complete nutter.

When you're arranging where the date should take place, bear in mind that you want it to be public (for safety's sake) and somewhere that you're comfortable with. But try not to take your date to your favourite bar or restaurant: if it doesn't go well, you want to be able to return there without fear of bumping into them! The same rules apply as to dates you might set up via an online dating site or the dating services - don't give away too much personal information until you're sure that you want to enter into a dating relationship.

You'll want to make a great first impression, but don't go over-the-top. If you're too glammed-up you might set a precedent that you're not able to keep up! And anyway, there's rather a significant cringe factor in being more dressed-up than your date. Best avoided by keeping it sexy, but understated.

Finally, remember not to take it too seriously! We've all been on some terrible blind dates, but no matter how awful they are, they always provide good dinner-party stories...