You are about to go on a date with a person and you have been invited to a friend’s party at the same time. Should you take your new date to the party? It seems like the obvious answer, but here are several reasons why you might want to reconsider taking your date to any friend-hosted function.
You don’t know the person
Even if you’ve talked to your date in person or on the phone or even exchanged a hundred emails, you have no idea who this person is. The first date should be dedicated to making sure the two of you are compatible and that is difficult to do with a group of friends. What if the person turns out to be a complete psychopath and now you have invited them to your friend’s house? Instead, take your date to a coffee shop and save the parties for the next few dates where you are a little more familiar with the person and their personality.
Under the spotlight
If you take your first date to a party full of friends, your date might feel like she’s being scrutinized all the time, and they’d be right to a point, right? Your friends will always look out for your best interests, and good friends will quickly tell you if they don’t like your new date. This could cause the person to act false or unnatural in an effort to appease their friends. In any case, this type of environment will not allow you to know anyone in an intimate way. It is best in a restaurant or even in a quiet park where the two of you can meet in private.
What if you don’t like the person?
A very good reason not to take your first date to a friend’s party is because you may not like your date. When you are in a restaurant or coffee shop and you don’t like the address of the date, you can apologize at any time. Are you going to have the gut fortitude to kick your date out of your friend’s party the moment things go wrong? Or are you going to hold on and keep hanging out with the person, ruining your good time and your date’s? Of course, you never expect a date to turn sour, but it can happen. Take your date elsewhere and make sure you have an exit strategy planned in case your date fails.
A friend’s party seems like a great time and a perfect place to take someone you’re trying to get to know better, but a first date is tricky. Find a place a little more private and personal and you will have a much better time.
