So I was out at dinner last night with my best friend and we noticed a guy and girl sitting at a table across from us. I told my friend, I hope they aren’t on a date, because he was definitely on his phone!!! That scene sparked us to sit at the table and come up with some date etiquette rules. Please keep in mind, these apply to both guys and girls!
1. Don’t show up too early or late – It’s not a good idea to show up 45 minutes early and have to wait for your date to finish getting ready. And showing up late shows that you really don’t care about the date. 5-10mins before is appropriate…like you would for an interview.
2. If you ask to take someone out, you pay the bill – Most guys get this concept, but ladies, if you’re going to be the independent women that you are and ask a guy out, you are offering to pay the bill.
3. Come with a plan, but leave room for spontaneity – Please don’t arrive and ask “so what do you want to do?” If you’re the one who initiated the date, you need to have a plan but know that it doesn’t have to be set in stone.
4. Chivalry please! – Guys, please be a gentleman. This means, opening doors, pulling a chair out and letting the lady walk in the door before you.
5. Don’t talk about yourself the entire time- Talking about yourself the entire time shows that you aren’t really interested in your date. Ask questions to show interest.
6. Compliments would be nice – Compliments show that you are paying attention to the details and really taking the time to notice your date.
7. Don’t mention past dates/relationships, politics, and religion – These topics are off limits.
8. Look presentable – You would think this is a no brainer, but some people just don’t get it. We are all grown ups, so let’s act like we care about our appearance.
9. Stay off the cell phone!! – Texting, checking voicemail, Twitter, Facebook, even talking on your phone shows that you aren’t interested in the date or enjoying yourself. If you didn’t want to be there, you shouldn’t have agreed go on the date in the first place!
10. HAVE FUN AND ENJOY THE MOMENT!
So when you want to take that step and ask someone out on a date, keep these tips in mind so there will be a second and third date in the future!
