You are about to go on a date with someone and you have been invited to a friend’s party at the same time. Should you bring 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 function hosted by a friend.
you don’t know the person
Even if you have talked to your date in person or on the phone or even if you have exchanged hundreds of emails, you have no idea who this person is. The first date should be spent making sure the two of you are compatible and that’s hard to do with a group of friends. What if the person turns out to be a complete psycho and now you invited them to your friend’s house? Instead, take your date to a coffee shop and save the parties for later dates when you are a bit more familiar with the person and her personality.
under the spotlight
If you take your first date to a party full of friends, your date might feel like they’re being scrutinized all the time, and they’d be right to a point, wouldn’t they? Your friends will always look out for your best interests, and good friends will tell you quickly if they don’t like your new date. This could cause the person to act disingenuous or unnatural in an effort to appease your friends. In any case, that kind of environment will not allow you to get to know anyone intimately. It is better that you go to a restaurant or even a quiet park where you can meet in private.
What if you don’t like the person?
One very good reason not to take your first date to a friend’s party is because you might not like your date. When you are in a restaurant or cafe and you don’t like the address of the appointment, you can excuse yourself at any time. Will you have the gut strength to kick your date out of your friend’s party the moment things go awry? Or are you going to suck it up and continue hanging out with the person, ruining your and your date’s good time? 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 turns out to be a flop.
A friend’s party sounds 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 somewhere a little more private and personal and you’ll have a much better time.