4 Tips for Blind Dates: A Guest Post by Ellie Stevens

Please welcome to A Three Way Tie, Ellie Stevens!


Ellie Stevens is a guest post author who loves sharing her tips for dating and relationships. Ellie has taken this passion to blogging for Best Online Dating Sites where she focuses on educating singles about the best and most effective ways to date on the internet.

4 Tips to Make Blind Dates Less Terrifying 

Blind date—two words that have the ability to strike fear into the hearts of singles everywhere. And when you’re a woman without a significant other, you know all too well what it’s like to be a prime target for your married friends who just to happen to “know a great guy you need to meet!”

In order to get your friends off your case, maybe you’ve finally given into their requests to set you up on this blind and sure-to-be catastrophe while in the meantime you are brainstorming excuses for getting out of it. But before you call and cancel on the fellow because you “seem to have contracted a highly contagious and disgusting illness—probably swine flu,” be sure to take into consideration the following tips that will make your blind date a whole lot less scary than it sounds:


#1: Do your research. 

 In order to put your mind at ease so that you aren’t so blinded by the situation, use your investigation skills and get the scoop on your date before heading out the door with the guy. You may have never met him, but the person setting up the two of you should be able to give you the lowdown. Also, a light sweep of pertinent social networking sites and Google will assist in giving you a better idea about what this guy is all about—just don’t let it slip that you already know everything about him when striking up the get-to-know-you conversation!


#2: Keep an open mind. 

If you go into the blind date with a negative attitude and the idea that the guy is not going to be a match for you, then you are just setting yourself up for a miserable time. Keep your mind open and look at the date as an opportunity to get to know someone new—he might not be “the one,” but even if you just wind up making a new friend, the date should be considered a success. And you never know…your blind date may very be the start to many not-so-blind-dates with the guy down the road!


#3: Know you aren’t the only one who is nervous. 

 It doesn’t matter who you are, when a date is involved, there are bound to be some nerves that come along with it. It’s an awkward situation meeting someone you’ve never met before—so rest assured that your date is going to be feeling nervous too. Stop rehearsing things to say and freaking out about whether there is food in your teeth or if you are going to have anything other than awkwardness in common. Just go with the flow! Once you get past the initial small talk (and maybe even a glass of wine or two), the date should be flowing more easily and the two of you should be feeling more comfortable. Even though you may feel as though they are about the fly out of your stomach, the butterflies are one of the best parts about dating someone new!


#4: Don’t ditch your date. 

If you arrive at the restaurant where you are meeting your blind date and the guy is not what you expected, do your best to keep from scramming out the door before introductions are made. You owe it to him and whoever set you up to at least see if there is some sort of connection other than the physical kind. If it’s not a match, then you don’t have to go out with the guy again—but you got all dolled up so you might as well be polite, tough it out and not let a killer outfit go to waste.