Recently a friend of mine met a guy with whom she immediately felt the ‘spark’.  She said he hit home on all fronts of her mental checklist and they had a great vibe.

Once he had her hooked in, much like the underrated caliber of Subway Choco-Chip cookies, he threw down the surprise of a century.  He asked her to a wedding… for a first date.

Now I’m not too sure what was going through this guy’s head.  How does asking a girl to meet your family, entertain your friends, AND get to know you on first date help your chances?  If anything, something like this will get a girl running faster than if she had the hounds of hell nipping at her heels.

So this inspired me to come up with a weekly treat for these people.  We’ll come up with ideas for a potential date and discuss the pro’s and con’s.  Since I’m not creative with names, we’re going to call the series “Weddings are a Terrible First Date”.

Now I would start with the dinner and drinks, but that’s too obvious.  Plus, dinner dates are always awkward for a first date.  Even if it’s a comfortable atmosphere and you can pick the locale to suit your tastes, you can always spot a first date couple out to dinner.

There are always two different types of eaters… the first date eaters and the everyday eaters.  Physical body language, the use of utensils, and the close guarding of either of you not wanting to look like a greedy pig is always an element that both of you must handle.   Stick to dinner as a second date.

Today’s date idea:  Live Music

Pro’s –

-  You can get a feel for someone’s musical taste.  Music is the soundtrack to life.  Pick a random location, random night, and random band.  Love the music or hate it, both of you can become music critics overnight.

-  Lots of interaction.  These venues are a great place to people watch.  You can see how your personalities mesh out in public without having all the attention squarely on the two of you.

-  Built in conversation.  With music and bands, people can talk forever.  Music is one of the few threads common to the entire world.  You can get to know someone very well by finding out their music tastes.

Con’s –

- Loud atmosphere.  It will be hard to converse while the band is playing, so conversation may be limited in between songs.  Stay away from deafening your date by screaming in their ear all night.

- Awkward dance moves.  Should you dance wildly with your arms flailing?  Should you casually sway?   Head straight to the pit?  This one will be an executive decision, best to take note of the crowd and follow suit.

Overall  5/5 stars

This is a great date idea because of the interaction and getting to know each other factor.  Some great places to check out are Double Door, The Metro, or Martyr’s.  There are plenty of small venues to choose from in the city which can suit your taste.  Discover a very important side of your date throughout the night and if it doesn’t work out, maybe you’ll find your new favorite band!

Have date ideas you’d like to share?  Good ones?  Terrible ones?  Don’t be shy and email them to parag@crushme.com!