Annabelle Slator on the right dating app based on your perfect first date
The Launch Date is her debut novel on creating the perfect first dates for a dating app.
What if you need to test a series of first date ideas with your work rival to ensure they work for a dating app you are about to launch? Annabelle Slater ponders this in The Launch Date. A cute romance novel, The Launch Date is Slator’s debut novel and today we are celebrating it by inviting her to chat about the dating apps IRL.
This guest post is written by Annabelle Slator, author of The Launch Date.
Everyone has their own version of a perfect first date and the platforms people frequent to find love come with their own set of cliches, niches and quirks. Not every dating app is made equally, and it can be impossible to know which app is going to be your perfect match.
In my debut novel, The Launch Date, Grace and Eric are tasked with putting together first date packages for a brand new app; Ditto. But sadly, Ditto doesn’t exist IRL; so I have put together a guide for picking which might be right app for you based on your perfect first date.
Tinder:
Take a classic noncommittal date, meeting for drinks at a chilled out bar or pub (nothing too fancy or expensive) that also has an element of fun. Flight club in London is perfect for this, not quite as far as an adults only arcade (though you might want to save the impossibly messy candy floss cocktails for the second or third date), but just enough to add an element of elevation to a date which would traditionally sound boring. I find playing darts also weeds out the weak. Too competitive? Ew. Upset you beat them? Extreme ick. Letting you win by a tight margin so they can buy you another drink? Ideal. Tinder users keep it casual but classic. But are infinitely interesting and will weather the storm. They like what they like and don’t tend to veer away from it.
Bumble:
Bumble users are proactive and organised. They like a plan, a commitment beyond ‘hey yeah I’m free tonight if you’re around’. Something that says ‘I’m valuing the opportunity to get to know you beyond amusing myself for the night.’
Booking in a reservation or a workshop is a great way to express that the person you want to date is someone you think will be worth your time. A paint and sip class, candle making, pottery class, BYOB Terrazzo workshop. Make something together alongside the memories.
Hinge:
Hinge is the person everyone wants to be when dating. They are cool but unserious, chilled but not aloof. Hinge ushered in the dating app 2.0 era and so too should your date be an evolved version of a classic. A simple coffee date but instead of perching on a cafe stool, get out into the world, go on a slow paced walking tour of unique city landmarks just as unique as you.
Feeld:
I will preface this by admitting that yes, this is a bit of a commitment but an immersive theatre performance. Not for the faint of heart, but neither is Feeld. As a dating app, they love to dabble in the multimedia landscape (side note: their publication A Fucking Magazine is an amazing read.) Try an avant-garde art show for a daytime get-to-know or something thrilling like a Sleep No More style immersive performance followed by an experimental cocktail bar.
Happn:
Happn’s concept attempts to encapsulate the spontaneity of bumping into someone and having that instant chemistry – the StumbleUpon of dating apps. Bring that off the cuff impulsive energy by taking your date to a bustling locale like Borough Market or Portbello Market. You have a rough plan, but you never know where the day will take you.
If you’re on Raya frankly you have no business reading this article. You already know where you’re going. It’s the latest opening of a swanky hotel rooftop bar, it’s a guest list only event, it’s a VIP section at Chappel Roan’s show and you have someone already poised to record you doing the HOT TO GO dance! Or maybe its the chicest new restaurant because you can’t get a reservation at Sessions Arts Club. It’s blagging a guest pace to Dean Street Townhouse and lying to your date about being a member. Promising you’ll take them to Soho Farmhouse down the line.
OkCupid:
I originally didn’t want to include OkCupid but apparently it is still one of the most popular dating apps worldwide. If you’re on OkCupid, you’re likely looking for a more traditional connection. A park picnic with a card game to build an emotional connection like We’re Not Really Strangers would be right up your street.
