Tips

You’re going out. You’re excited. You can’t wait!

But where do you go? First dates are stressful enough as it is without having to worry about the where, right? Take the venue stress off your plate with these five simple first date destination tips. There’s certain to be something in this list to suit every personality. Planning a first date doesn’t have to be rocket science – spend your time working on chemistry instead!

Museum Exhibit

If you’re ever at a loss for something to talk about, start with the dinosaurs! Seriously – if you’re a history buff or art enthusiast, check out the local museum. Walking around will make you feel like you’re doing something. The exhibit will give you prompts for things to talk about. If the date isn’t going well, you can gaze at exhibits in silence!

With the holidays just around the corner, it is not uncommon to start thinking about that dreaded question: what kind of gift should I get for my new boyfriend or girlfriend? Well, never fret! There’s the perfect gift solution for those couples who are “newly dating.”

You should never feel pressured to spend outside your means when it comes to the holidays. This is especially true if you’re been with your partner less than six months. If your partner is with you for material reasons, best to find another partner now and buy yourself something cool than waste any more time on someone more interested in your bottom line than you.

When you’re “newly dating,” that’s not the time for expensive electronics or pricey jewelry. It is, however, a great time for you to let your partner know that you value their place in your life and went to the effort of getting something that suited their personality. Skip the stuffed animals and Wii video game systems. It’s not Valentine’s Day and you’re not a bank.

Here are some perfect gift suggestions for all you “newly dating” folk that should get you through the holidays is style – and still in love!

You’ve gone and done it – you’ve joined the world of online dating. First and foremost, congrats! Believe it or not, it can actually be a ton of fun. But now that you’re here – what do you do? Well, the first step is to create your online dating profile.

Maybe you’ve been in the online dating scene for awhile. In that case, it’s probably time for a profile audit on your end! Regardless of whether you’re new to the online dating scene or simply want to make your profile more effective, here are some tips for you to follow. Get more responses from women you want to talk to and waste less time worrying why no one is emailing you back!

Tip 1: Your Pictures. You’re not still in high school (while you may still be in college). Yearbook photos are out. Make sure that the pictures you post to your online dating profile are not only current, but show you actually doing things. If you like to fish, put up a picture of you fishing with the guys. Love to ski? Show it! But there are definitely a few things that your potential matches don’t want to see in your profile pictures: you with a herd of other women, you with an ex-wife/ex-girlfriend, every picture shows you holding a beer. Just like you don’t want to look at pics of a gal drooling over a bunch of dudes, be discrete with your pictures. Fun and funny is fantastic for showing personality – just don’t go over the line and close the door before it’s even opened with inappropriate photos. On a closing note, make sure you have at least five pictures. Need pictures? Go out with a buddy and a camera for the day!

Many of us are holding out for “the one.” That person who makes our heart sing. In the world of online dating, you can opt to either date more people more often or be selective in the dating process, choosing your dates carefully and only going out on occasion. Different dating styles suit different personalities, but how do you hang in there online while you’re waiting for your prince or princess to come home from the ball?

We’ve put together some tips that can make a extended period in the online dating realm more bearable. Remember: your quest for the right person to share your life with isn’t something to be rushed!

It may be that you or your new partner – or both – have kids. You’ve been dating for awhile and you both feel that you’re not going anywhere. The time has come where you both want to make the kids a part of your relationship, but you really don’t know where to start.

It’s always a sound decision to wait until the two of you are past the initial “nervous” stage. It’s important to become comfortable enough with one another that you understand your partner’s personality and how they will react to the kids. After all, if you don’t take the time to get to now your partner, you’re going to be introducing your kids to someone who may be on their way out as soon as they came. That’s not something you want to expose your kids to since they’re probably still becoming accustomed to the fact that you’re dating.

The decision to bring children into your relationship needs to be mutual. If either you or your partner aren’t quite ready to “meet the kids,” that’s something you have to respect. In a case where one partner asks to wait, have an open and honest conversation so that they can explain their reasons for wanting to wait. Just saying “I’m not ready” won’t give your partner (or you) anything tangible to work with. Once you have that information, you can continue to work together towards the goal of bringing your children into your loving relationship.

Ever had someone contact you multiple times on an online dating website? That is, multiple times when you hadn’t even responded the first time…

It happens to most of us – some people just don’t know how to take no for an answer. There can be many reasons why someone decides to contact another member again if they don’t initially receive a response. Often times, it is with good intentions, unsure that their email or message was delivered on the first try. Others, they simply can’t believe that you’re not interested. Regardless, here are some tips for contacting people on online dating sites and now to show interest without being a stalker.

Twice Tops

If you reach out to someone once, especially by a message, and they do not reply, you can contact them one more without looking like you are nagging. If the person did not respond to your first message, it’s perfectly OK to send something along that says, “Hi – I dropped you a line last week without a response. I just wanted to say hello once more and see if you’re interested. If you wouldn’t mind sending me a quick note back, that would be great. While I’d love to connect with you, I don’t want to be annoying or bother you. I look forward to hearing from you!”