Going the Distance; It’s Just Lunch Dating Best Practices;

Diana Ross and the Supremes famously sang that "ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough, ain't no river wild enough to keep me from you!" So why are some people resistant to dating someone that lives in a different town?

Of course, meeting someone great who lives locally to you is convenient, but travelling outside the Beltway is hardly climbing a mountain or fording a raging river. It's Just Lunch DC serves the Washington, DC metro area as well as Maryland and Northern Virginia; we match clients across three states in our quest to help busy professionals find love! Before you reject a match (who could be absolutely perfect for you) based on where they live, please stop to think:

• If I heard all of this person's profile information, but they lived near me, would I be excited to meet him/her?  If you really like what you hear about someone, don't pass them up based on location alone. You have It's Just Lunch to schedule your date halfway between you and your match, so Mr. or Ms. Right doesn't ever have to be "geographically undesirable"!

• How often do I meet people near me that have the qualities I'm looking for? You may discover that meeting someone who lives in a different area may have interests and perspectives that differ from yours in a positive way, providing opportunities for really stimulating conversation and exciting dates!

• How far am I willing to go to find The One? This is a tough question, and one only you can answer for yourself. I have met many happy couples in my life and work that braved the difficulties of a long-distance relationship that spanned a state, or even the entire country. Being open to the possibility of finding the right person, wherever they might be, allowed those couples to develop meaningful relationships that they may never have found if they had let distance be the deciding factor.

Keep an open mind about "going the distance". We’ve seen it work, for many clients over the years, you’ll be glad that you did!

Dos and Don’ts of your First Date; It’s Just Lunch Metro DC Dating Best Practices

 DO ask about your date's interests and lifestyle--that's why we give you so much information about them! Focus on the things you have in common, or ask about things that interested you when your personal account rep told you about them.  It helps if you jot down the details about your match when your date is scheduled.

DON'T ask personally invasive questions.  Your first date goal should be to decide if you want a second date.  Asking your date about their income, sex life, or marriage plans is way too much for the first time out.  Those are things you only need to worry about when you've reached the point of a serious commitment to each other.

DO stay in the moment!  Everyone we work with is a busy professional, and anyone can have a bad day at work.  If you're the one who's had the bad day, try to leave that at the door when you sit down with your date--if you need to excuse yourself for a moment to shake off the negativity, do it. If you're the one meeting someone who's had a bad day, keep in mind that we all have bad days, and try to give the other person the benefit of the doubt. 

DON'T discuss It's Just Lunch!  Finding time in your busy schedule to have a date is hard enough--don't risk ruining a chance to make a great first impression by talking about IJL. Talking about how many dates you go on will seem like bragging and may turn your date off. Save questions and about the service for your personal account rep, and focus your time on getting to know your date, and allowing them to get a great first impression of you. 

Remember: the goal of your It's Just Lunch Metro DC dates is to help you to find great potential dating partners in a pressure-free setting. Approach the experience as an opportunity to get to know someone you might never have met otherwise, and try to share as much positive information about yourselves as possible. Make it all about the two of you, and put your best face forward!

Sometimes the best dos and don'ts come from our clients, as they have experienced the best and worst of the dating world.  We love it when you share fun dating stories that others can learn from.  What are some of your suggestions for dating dos and don'ts?

Hi, there! Welcome to my blog!

People ask us for dating advice all the time. In fact, as I write this, I can hear one of our personal account reps giving a client ideas for fun second dates. So, it occurred to us, why not start an IJL blog? This way, we can share our advice, ideas, and favorite stories from over the years with everyone!