Skip to content
  • Essence GU
  • Beautycon
  • NaturallyCurly
  • Afropunk
  • Essence Studios
  • Soko Mrkt
  • Ese Funds
  • Refinery29
  • 2025 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Entrepreneurship
  • News
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
  • Subscribe
Home • News

Forget All Of the Fuss! Study Shows Simple First Dates Lead to Marriage Too

A new study reveals that more couples who went on simple first dates got married than those who chose more extravagant dates.
Forget All Of the Fuss! Study Shows Simple First Dates Lead to Marriage Too
Getty Creative Image
By Brittney Oliver · Updated October 27, 2020

Do you count him out if he doesn’t take you on an extravagant first date? A new study shows that a simple coffee shop date could turn into marriage.

A helicopter ride, an afternoon on a yacht, dinner at the best steakhouse in town all sound like great first dates, but not all grandeur gestures lead to a long term relationship.  According to the dating app, Plenty of Fish, you don’t need to pull out all the stops on your first date.  

10 Tips for Dating in Your 30s, 40s, and Beyond​

The app polled over 1,100 of their former users who are now married to learn how their site helped them find love. The results show that a little can go a long way.  Over 65-percent of those polled went for appetizers and affordable meals on their first dates. The second most popular date was a walk followed by coffee or drinks.

First dates are meant to get to know one another and we can eliminate the distractions by keeping the first date simple. Create activities that allow you both to make a connection that in time can turn into something long lasting.