Little Bird Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 I'm new to online dating, and I want to know how should I greet a guy on the first meeting after emailing each other for a week? Should I hug him, shake his hand, kiss him on the cheek? Is a hug too personal? I have no clue what he expects either.
Confusedalways Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 This was my least favorite part of online dating! It always stressed me out. I let the man lead-- usually I would have the mentality that I was going to go in for a hug, and he'd shake my hand. The best advice I received on here was to arrive first and just be and stay seated, that seemed best for me. Upon reflection - I would just shake hands now if I was still online dating. Just seems the least intrusive.
Little Bird Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 I think I'm most comfortable shaking hands, but that seems too formal. But then that would be better than an awkward forced hug.
JohnnyBlaze Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 Go with what you feel comfortable with. He'll probably extend his hand, but that's only because some women are very apprehensive about hugging when they don't know a guy, so we'd rather err on the side of caution. If you go for a hug, it's highly unlikely he'll pull back. Either way, hugging or hand shaking at the start of a first date isn't going to create any negative impression about you, so as I said, go with what you're comfortable with.
carhill Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 Warm hug and kiss on the cheek, just like I greet my female friends and close male friends. This presumes we've had some interaction and enough mutual interest to meet in person.
BobSacamento Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 I always go with the handshake. Seriously, don't sweat it.
D-Lish Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 I just always went with the flow when I met someone for the first time. I usually just said hello without any physical contact- I might have shaken someone's hand here and there, I can't really recall. When I met my current bf, we just said hello initially and then hugged at the end of the first date. Try not to stress out over it and just do what feels natural upon meeting.
OceanGirl Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 I let the man lead. Most kiss on the cheek. Few do nothing. Even fewer go in for the full hug. Typically, very confident men go for this. Nobody has shaken my hand.
Stung Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 I usually went with the hug, but then I only ever met people I had been conversing with for a while and already knew I liked. If I were meeting people I'd only exchanged two or three emails with, I'd've probably felt more aloof. It's probably best to go with the flow, try to gauge body language and react accordingly.
USCGAviator Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 (edited) I always go in for the hug. I would feel awkward shaking her hand. Were both there to see if we have a connection, so I see no better way to make forward momentum than a nice hug. Edited January 10, 2011 by USCGAviator
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