You started Online Dating to meet a man. Now it is time to meet your online match for the first time. Meeting him in a comfortable environment will give you the best chance to relax while you explore the romantic possibilities.
Meet As Friends
When it comes time to meet your match in person, meet as friends. Don't go to your first meeting with the idea in your mind that he is The One or might be The One. That puts way too much pressure on your first meeting.
Meet At An Agreed Place
When you are ready to meet your match, suggest meeting on the weekend. Meeting for lunch, coffee or dessert all work well since none implies huge expectations. You might ask for a few suggestions, but I think you should select the place to meet. This allows you to choose a place where you will feel comfortable. Unless one of you is driving a long distance, I would try to make the first meeting fairly short. Just like with the first phone call, you want to leave him wanting more.
Go Dutch
Since you will be of meeting as friends, suggest going Dutch on your first meeting. That my help avoid an awkward situation. If he offers to pay, you can always accept his nice offer. Either way, there will be clarity on the issue.
Dress Casual
I would suggest you discuss with your match dressing casual for your first meeting. I think that helps everyone to keep their expectations in check and promotes a friendly, comfortable environment to explore the possibilities for romance. Your focus should be on one another, not the clothes that you each are wearing.
Discuss How You Will Greet One Another
To avoid an awkward situation, I would recommend you mention how you would like to greet one another when you first meet. You may feel comfortable greeting him with a big friendly hug. You may decide you would be more comfortable waiting until you say goodbye. Discussing the issue beforehand will insure there are no hurt feelings or misunderstandings.
Tell A Friend
For the first few times you plan to meet one of your matches, tell a friend who you are meeting, where you are meeting, when you are meeting, what is planned for the date and when you will call her back with all the juicy details.
Have Fun
When you finally meet your match, relax, be yourself and have a good time. Remember, there is nothing prettier on a woman than a smile.
Send An E-Mail After Your First Meeting
If you had a successful first meeting, before you go to bed, send him a short e-mail saying that you enjoyed meeting him in person. It is a nice way to gently let him know that you are interested and worth pursuing.
Transitioning To A Real World Relationship
Meeting your match for the first time is a big step in transitioning you from an online/phone relationship to one in the real world. It still may be awhile before you feel comfortable enough to give him your phone number so that he can call or your address so he can pick you up for a date. I would suggest you open yourself up to him at the rate you feel comfortable. If he is a quality guy, he will be patient and understanding.
