Dating Etiquette for the Modern Couple

Times are indeed changing. No longer is dating considered exclusively geared towards courtship and marriage. No longer does man have to bear the sole burden of date expenses and no longer do couples have to suffer the convoluted protocols of prescribed date behavior.

Then again, polite behavior shall always be what it is regardless of what era it is and in modern dating, some semblance of proper behavior should at least be observed. You wouldn't want to sit across a smelly, tooth-picking slob, would you?

Preliminaries

Before the date proper itself, certain preliminary details should be addressed. Your choice of clothes would always depend on where you will have your date. Naturally a movie engagement would not do well with a coat and tie and a champagne-popping French restaurant would likewise be incongruous with jeans and sneakers.

When you've settled where you want to invite someone to, make the call. Traditionally, men were expected to make the call and women who even thought of initiating the dating process was looked upon with consternation. Nowadays though, even with the presence of some conservatives, society has allowed some freedom for females to extend the initial invitation. If possible, make just one call. If your potential date doesn't pick up the phone try a second time, but there's a chance he or she may not like to have you on a date and is just too uncomfortable with being verbally brutal.

Once the invitation has been accepted, seriously look into your grooming. Whether you're wearing jeans or a formal evening attire, bad breath or bad odor will find there was through your braces and your sleeves. Make sure the basics are in place, a swipe of deodorant on both armpits, dabs of cologne on the right places and a breath mint or two.

When picking up your date, it is always polite especially for the guys, to get down from the car and meet whoever answers the door and not just honk for your date from the driveway.

The Date

Call it antiquated chivalry if you must, but it is still polite to let the lady precede you when entering a restaurant and pulling out her chair for her. Admittedly, the more aggressive females refuse to be treated this way, but chair pulling is still a practice in polite society.

When footing the bill, traditionally, the man pays for everything. Nowadays, the one who invites should foot the bill or, better yet, it can be agreed upon before hand to go Dutch. A gentleman may offer to pitch in if the woman is supposed to pay and a lady should also carry some cash if the man is expected to pay, just in case.

After the Date

If you are teens on a date and you have a curfew (which is expected) its not only polite, but a matter of survival to bring your date home on time, unless you relish the thought of facing a very incensed parent on the porch.

When bringing a girl home, always get down from the car and bring her over to the porch and say good night properly.

Remember, dating may have evolved, but etiquette is etiquette.