Save the Date: 15 ideas for planning an incredible date

by Marlene Baer

In college my friends continually tried to one-up each other with their creative dating skills. Dates consisted of scavenger hunts to glow-in-the-dark golfing to nerd bowling and sunset cruises on open seas. I even knew of a guy who had his friends dress up as Secret Service men to make his date feel like she was going out with a CIA agent. A little over the top? Perhaps. But creative? Absolutely. Has the reality of planning a date for that special someone given you a panic attack? With the complications that dating brings, some guys would say it?s easier to just play it safe and go to dinner and a movie. And some women might say that too much creativity too soon puts additional pressure on the relationship. Matthew Paul Turner and Kerri Pomarolli, authors of How to Ruin Your Dating Life, think it?s worth the effort. ?According to popular opinion, dating is supposed to be fun,? they write. ?So why is it that many of us do whatever is necessary to make it not fun?? Sure, dating takes work, time, planning, and emotional energy, but it should also be a fun way to get to know someone. Here ? to the rescue ? are some unconventional ways to spice up the dating doldrums and put the creative back into ?What are you doing Saturday night??

Getting to Know You

Don?t worry ? this isn?t a job interview. So put down that r?sum? and portfolio. Here are some ideas to help you dig below surface conversation: 1. Find out random, funny facts in those early stages. Grab a bocce ball set and head to the park. Every time you throw a ball tell a random fact about yourself. Then go out for dessert and bring The Complete Book of Questions: 1001 Conversation Starters for Any Occasion by Garry Poole to see how your date answers the most off-the-wall questions when he or she is in the hot seat. This is sure to spur on additional conversation. 2. Go to a restaurant that has a jukebox, and take $10 each to select songs. When a song you picked comes on, tell your date why you picked it and what memories it brings to mind. 3. Set aside a night for sharing photos. Comparing pics is a great lead-in to help you swap stories about favorite events, embarrassing moments, and family dynamics.

Truth or Dare

Think adventure is just for Captain Jack Sparrow or the Bionic Woman? Add some adrenaline with the following adventure dates:

1. Harness up and head to your nearest indoor rock-climbing gym. Afterward, eat dinner at a restaurant that only serves vegan raw dishes or an international cuisine neither of you have tried. Dinner can be just as much of an adventure as rock climbing.
2. Embark on a scavenger hunt around your city. Urbandare.com puts together races that are part photo hunt, part trivia, and part dares. With your date, solve clues to find checkpoints throughout your city and take photos, or perform dares to move to the next checkpoint.

Thematic and Dramatic

Women love it when a man has a plan. But a plan with a theme behind it? Now that creativity deserves some extra credit. Try these ideas when planning a theme date: 6. Went on a mission trip last summer? Plan a night around where you went. Eat at a restaurant with the country?s food and then watch a video from your mission trip. 7. Find out what your date likes and build your evening around that theme. If her favorite flick is Audrey Hepburn?s ?Roman Holiday,? focus on that. Take her to an Italian restaurant and create an Italian music playlist to listen to in the car (bonus points: burn her a CD of the songs as a gift). Wrap up the night by watching the film together.

Less Is More

Think you need to go five-star and fancy to impress your date? Leave the credit card at home. These cheap dates are great ways to show off your creative genius: 8. Venture to the 99-cent store or local thrift shop and set a $5 limit. Buy each other cheap treasures ? the tackier the better. Then go to a restaurant that offers a dollar menu to share your gifts and why you chose them. 9. Like board games? Go to a discount store and pick out a game to play together at a coffee shop. If you want to keep the costs down even more, set up a game tournament for the two of you with things you have at home ? from card games to Ping Pong. Have a gumball-machine prize for the winner. 10. Pick up takeout or pack a homemade dinner and enjoy some great tunes while people watching.

Play Dates

Let the carefree third-grader trapped inside of you escape for a night. It?s easier than you think with these be-a-kid-again dates: 11. Head to a local pizza parlor that has old-school videogames. With a roll of quarters in hand, have your own Ms. Pacman tournament. 12. Happy meals aren?t just for kids. Find the fast-food chain with the coolest prize and take your meal to a nearby park. Reminisce about favorite childhood memories. 13. Find an empty court, grab a basketball, and play a game of H.O.R.S.E. Make your date moonwalk or do a cartwheel before shooting each basket. Even the most uncoordinated will have fun with this game.

Well, You Gotta Eat

Don?t toss out the dinner date completely. Just spice it up a bit. Here are a few ways to put a twist on getting some grub: 14. Be food critics for a night. Pick one kind of food or drink that your date loves, like hot chocolate or apple pie, and go to four restaurants that serve it. Judge each one based on the quality and flavor. Talk about the food, special tastes, the way it?s served, and the service. (Adapted from *The Art of the First Date *by Hayley DiMarco and Michael DiMarco.) 15. Set up a backwards progressive dinner. Go to one restaurant for dessert, to another for your main course, and save the last for appetizers. ?Some people think God doesn?t really care about or get involved in our dating endeavors,? Turner and Pomarolli write. ?I can?t help but believe that God really does care about your dating life and all it entails. He knows the pain of being alone and the difficulty of having hope at times. ? He?s up in heaven feeling your pain. OK, sometimes He?s up there laughing. It depends on the date.? It?s comforting to know that God truly cares and is involved in our dating lives, even if He does have a sense of humor ? clearly, due to our blunders and failed attempts. So reclaim the fun in the process, think outside the box, and breathe new life into your dates.

Marlene Baer has gone on dates from the awkward and boring to the creative and memorable. One of her favorites was the ?Marlympics? where she came through with the gold medal after many rigorous competitions ? if you can call Jenga rigorous.

Source: http://threadsmedia.com/blog/article/save-the-date-15-ideas-for-planning-an-incredible-date

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