No matter which niche you’re dating in, including BBW dating, there are certain etiquette rules for a first date that we should all follow not only to ensure we get a second date, but simply to avoid acting like a total jerk. Below we discuss the top 7 worst things you can do on a first date that will make the other person run for their life.
Your date will pay more attention to how you treat other people around you than to how you treat them. Be nice and polite, smile, and show respect to everyone, from the waiters and other patrons at the restaurant, to the random people on the street. Obviously, don’t forget your ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ when talking to your date.
Allow your date to tell you their story, and don’t interrupt them when they’re talking. Don’t talk over them or for them. You want to make them feel like you care about their opinion. Also, be careful about the little things, such as ordering food for them. It’s best to let them speak for themselves throughout the evening, and you’ll have nothing to worry about.
The other person is interested in you and wants to get to know you. Unless you talk about yourself, your life, your opinions, beliefs, and all those things that come up on a date, you won’t give them a chance to find out what kind of a person you are. Don’t forget that often they might conclude that you’re not interested in them enough if you’re quiet all evening.
Having a drink or two is absolutely acceptable if you’re out on the town on a Saturday night, but know your limit and don’t cross it on a first date. Getting drunk with a group of friends who know you well is one thing, but putting yourself in a position to say things you don’t mean to share or do stuff you normally wouldn’t do should be avoided.
Obviously, everyone has a past, but your past has no business being with you on a first date. Don’t even mention your ex, let alone talk about them because the person listening is likely to conclude the past is not the past, and there is not enough room in your life for someone new.
If there ever was an off-putting topic for a first date, marriage and kids has to be it. Nobody likes the idea of any kind of a clock ticking, pressure, and especially desperation. It’s worse than an overly zealous sales person desperately trying to sell you something to meet their quota.
The matter of who pays the bill at the end of a first date is still, for some reason, open for debate when it really shouldn’t be. It’s not written in stone that the man should pay, but that’s usually the way it goes. At the same time, the girl should absolutely offer to pay or at least split the bill and mean it. If there are multiple checks to be picked up, such as dinner and a movie, it’s perfectly OK for one person to pay for the dinner and the other for the movie. It’s only fair!