Belle Brita

A Christian Feminist Lifestyle Blog

  • Home
  • Meet Brita
    • Start Here
    • Contact
    • Newsletter Options
    • Featured On
  • Start Here
    • Meet Brita
    • Belle Brita Newsletters
    • Comment Policy
  • The F-Word
    • Feminist Blog Posts
    • Sign up for Friday’s The F-Word
  • Work with Me
    • Disclosure
    • Hire Me
    • Contact

Published: July 29, 2014

That Time I Went on a Date with a Guy from OKCupid

Three years ago today, I had a date with a guy from OKCupid. I was in Columbus for the summer, interning with Kappa Kappa Gamma, and trying to go on awkward first dates to entertain my roommate and co-intern, Libbi.

My original plan was to let my date pick me up for dinner, because I was woefully naive about safely meeting strange men off the Internet. My boss Kylie advised me to meet the guy at the restaurant, not because she was that worried he would kill me, but just in case he was boring. So I called my date, made up a lame excuse about needing to run errands, and suggested we just meet for dinner.

We both arrived at about the same time at The Old Mohawk, a cute restaurant in German Village. I recognized him by his red collared shirt and jeans. I wore a black sundress, a silver key necklace, and silver dangling earrings, with my makeup done and my hair pulled up. He went in for a handshake, but I laughed and gave him a hug, “We’ve been emailing almost daily for three weeks. That deserves a hug!”

To be honest, I was a little nervous. Giddy? Absolutely, but still nervous. I hadn’t had much dating experience, and I wasn’t entirely sure how a date with a guy from OKCupid would work out. As a feminist, I’ve always felt that women shouldn’t expect men to pay for dates. But with my complete and total lack of dating experience, I had no idea how to handle the check issue. Would I insult him if I asked our server for separate checks? Did I do that stupid dance where I tried to pick up the check? I literally talked this over in detail with Libbi, who had both been a server before and had gone on real dates with real men. She prepared me for multiple scenarios, so I would know the most gracious way to respond.

best friends new Target dresses
Libbi, Henry, and I went to dinner at The Old Mohawk the weekend before my date. I wore the same dress from Target, but a different necklace.

It seems silly now, the amount of time I spent preparing for every single bill scenario, but I was trying to figure out at 24 what most people learn in high school and college. How exactly do you participate in the strange American dating rituals while staying true to yourself?

Our server brought us a single check, and placed it closer to my date. We were deeply immersed in conversation, either about gender inequality in the workplace or about oil storage tanks. My date quietly handled the bill without interrupting the flow of our conversation. When a natural lull in the conversation arose, I thanked him for dinner as graciously as I could. We talked as long as we could, considering his long drive ahead.

Before we went our separate ways, I hugged my date and thanked him again for dinner. I spent the rest of night in a semi-permanent state of giddy excitement over this guy from OKCupid.

not the guy from okcupid
After my date, I went to a party with my friends Jack and Henry and their fraternity brothers. One of these brothers kept buying me drinks and awkwardly hitting on me. Henry quite sweetly made sure not to leave me alone. The awkward guy turned out to be a jerk, so I was grateful for Henry’s help. Dress: Target (similar) Necklace: Gift (similar) Earrings: Local artist (similar)

I’d like to pause here and remind everyone reading that I was worried about how to handle the check, but I thought it was totally okay for a random guy from OKCupid to pick me up at my apartment.

This was not my first time meeting up with someone from the popular online dating website, nor would it be my last. But out of my limited albeit quite varied OKCupid experiences, this first date would be the only one to change my life.

If you haven’t figured it out already, that guy was my husband.

last night in Columbus
After the last day at my internship with Kappa Kappa Gamma, a bunch of my friends and I went out for a going-away party. Dan joined us, and we got our first picture together! Also, I think it might be obvious how much I loved that black sundress!

I can’t believe Dan has been in my life for three years–more than three years if I count our weeks of exchanging OKCupid messages. It feels like both forever and like no time at all. Granted, it took me about four weeks and a four-hour skype date to even think about dating him long-distance, and we didn’t officially become exclusive until mid-October.

But regardless of the exact timeline of our past, our present is what matters now. I fall more in love with Dan every single day, and I feel so incredibly blessed to call him my husband.

Bisous, Brita

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*

Love this post? Share the love!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Related

8 CommentsFiled Under: Dating, Love StoryTagged With: Columbus Ohio, romance

Meet Brita

Christian feminist libertarian, making the world a better place one day at a time. Fueled by hot tea and mimosas. Read More…

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
Earth Day Essentials from Grove Collaborative

Subscribe to my newsletter

Learn more about the monthly life.love.latitude and the weekly Friday's The F-Word!

Categories

  • Feminism
  • Travel
  • Crohn’s Disease
  • Blogging
  • Love Story
  • Faith

Recent Posts

Image of books in library. Text overlay reads: My 2022 in Books: What I Read and Loved

My 2022 in Books: What I Read and Loved

Reading has always been my favorite hobby. Ever since the pandemic started in 2020, I've leaned into … [Read More...]

Image of white woman surrounded by flowers. Image of white woman's hands typing. Text overlay reads: "My Journey to a Full-Time Writing Job"

The Writing Job I Didn’t Know I Wanted

On March 10, 2022, I received an unexpected email from LinkedIn. Normally Gmail sorts these into … [Read More...]

Back image of a white woman wearing a heavy coat. Text overlay reads: Sexual Harassment is Not Okay

Sexual Harassment on the Frozen Foods Aisle

You are so gorgeous. The words hit me quickly, quietly. Panic rose up in my throat even as I … [Read More...]

Popular Posts

  • A Year Without My Mother
  • My Husband Didn’t Take My Last Name
  • 20 Life-Changing Things to Do in Your 20s
  • 7 Scripture Readings on Service
  • Feminism 101: Learning the Lingo
  • My Bikini Has Nothing to Do with You
  • How to Survive School with Crohn’s Disease
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

© 2015, 2019 Belle Brita. Designed by KG.

Copyright © 2023 · Belle Brita on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in