School of Dating · Bonus Guide

Creative Date Ideas.

Because “dinner and drinks?” is how dating gets boring. Plan something worth remembering.

Heart of Dating

Before Anything · The Ground Rules

Five rules, every date.

1 · PlanDon’t wing it day-of. Planning is attractive (guys, we’re looking at you) — and give her a safe way out.

2 · Short60–90 minutes early on. Long enough to connect, short enough to leave them curious.

3 · LightThis is NOT an interview. Lighter keeps the pace steady and infatuation in check.

4 · Curious3–5 real questions — then have fun and look for the friendship connection.

5 · LimitsEasy on the alcohol (nerves aren’t a reason) — and our advice: save kissing for a relationship.

Above all: manage expectations. The goal is A to B, not A to Z — “do I know enough to want ONE more date?”

The Session 11 Formula

Great dates are one of three things.

InteractiveLearning together intensifies bonding — a class, a museum, a market.

ActiveMoving beats sitting. Shoulder-to-shoulder beats staring across a table.

Unique to themBuild it from what you already know about them — their culture, their snack, their thing.

Every idea in this guide hits at least one. Skip the coffee-shop sit, the dinner-and-drinks default, and the movie where you can’t even talk.

The Magic · Build, Don’t Pick

The date recipe: A + B (+ C when it’s time).

CasualDates 1–2 · A + B, that’s it. Walk + coffee. 60–90 minutes, low stakes, done. Simple is confident.

MemorableDate 3+ · add one C. Mini golf + dessert + loser-plans-date-four.

All-outWhen it’s established or it’s a special one · theme the whole night, multi-stop, go big.

Shelf A · The Activity

Something to do.

MoveNeighborhood walk · bike ride · short hike · pickleball · driving range · batting cages

PlayMini golf · board-game café · arcade · bowling

LearnCooking class · museum wing · pottery or art night

HuntThrift stores · farmers market · bookstore · flea market

WatchComedy show · live music · street performers · drive-in (the one movie exception — you can talk)

Active or interactive beats sitting-and-staring, every time. Shoulder to shoulder > face to face across a table.

Shelf B · The Food

Something to taste.

CoffeeFrom a favorite LOCAL shop — carried on the activity, never sat with in the shop.

Dessert huntThe best-rated sweet thing in your area — donuts, froyo, macarons, matcha.

Food trucksOne park, many trucks, graze everything.

Picnic BYOSplit it: one brings drinks + appetizers, the other dessert + snacks.

The crawlThree courses, three places — drinks one spot, dinner another, dessert a third.

Best-of tourBest sushi, best ice cream, best coffee — one part of town, do it all.

Shelf C · The Twist · Optional

Something to remember.

StakesLoser of each round does a dare — or buys dessert — or plans the next date (which requires a next date 😉).

Budget game$20 each at the thrift store, $10 each at the market — see how they think, wear the outfits out after.

TimingMake it sunrise or golden hour. Same date, triple the memory.

Theme itBuild the night around THEIR thing — a culture they love, a favorite movie, a place they miss.

Pick-for-themTen minutes, under $15: choose a book (or snack, or thrift find) you think THEY’D love. Swap and explain.

The twist turns “we got coffee” into a story they tell their friends — but it’s a dial, not a requirement. Date one? Skip this shelf entirely.

The Recipe In Action

Casual → all-out.

Stage	A · Activity	B · Food	C · Twist
Casual	Neighborhood walk	Local coffee	—
Casual	Farmers market	Graze the stalls	—
Casual	Museum wing	Dessert after	—
Memorable	Mini golf	Dessert hunt	Loser does a dare
Memorable	Thrift stores	Food trucks	$20 budget — wear it out
Memorable	Short hike	Thermos coffee at the top	Sunrise
All-out	Cooking class	The 3-course crawl	Themed to their favorite culture

Match the recipe to the stage. Low stakes early, big swings later — none of these are on anyone else’s list.

Long-Distance & Virtual

Different zip codes. Same intentionality.

Matched across cities? Deployed, traveling, or long-distance for a season? A screen date is still a date: show up on time, dress like you mean it, be fully there.

Long-Distance · Share A Meal

Eat together, apart.

Dinner outEach of you goes to your own favorite restaurant — and takes the other along on the date. Like you’re both really there.

Deliver dinnerOrder each other’s meal to their door — you pick theirs, they pick yours. Then eat “together” on FaceTime.

Cook togetherSame recipe, two kitchens, one video call. Buy the ingredients ahead — then judge each other’s plating.

Coffee breakFind out their coffee order, have it waiting at their local shop, then hop on a call and drink together.

Long-Distance · Play & Explore

Make it a game.

Game nightGamePigeon, online chess, a trivia app — or go deeper with “We’re Not Really Strangers.”

Watch partySame movie, synced play, phones on speaker — commentary strongly encouraged.

Maps tourWalk them through the top 3 places that made you — hometown, campus, favorite city — on Google Street View.

Playlist swapTrade a song that represents you right now, then build a shared playlist one add at a time.

Scavenger huntWrite clues for each other’s houses (50/50), then race to find them on video.

Keep In Your Pocket

Questions that open people up.

“Where are you from — and what did you like about growing up there?”

“What are your top 3 things to do on a weekend?”

“If you could live 3 places in the world, where?”

“What do you love most about your faith — or the church you attend?”

“If your friends had to describe you in one word, what would it be?”

“What made you smile today?”

3–5 of these, max. Then watch what lights them up — that’s the real data.

Go

Pick one. Plan it.

MenChoose an idea, ask by name with a day, plan it — and give her a safe way out.

LadiesHe suggested the same-old coffee sit? “I feel so connected on active dates — would you be open to mini golf instead?”

A to B, not A to Z. Go make a memory.