How to turn a date into a relationship…
Don’t flash too much flesh, don’t get drunk and DO let him pay for dinner: Millionaire matchmaker reveals her dating tips for women struggling to bag Mr Right
A professional matchmaker has shared her top tips for women struggling to find Mr Right in the minefield of online dating.
Lady Lara Asprey, 32, from Chelsea, London, has helped members of high society like Prince Charles’s polo playing chums to top Hollywood celebrities find love via her own dating agency, The Sloane Arranger.
Appearing on today’s This Morning, she said dating can be ‘harder for women’ – and many make it even more difficult for themselves by making a number of classic mistakes.
Lady Lara Asprey, pictured on today’s This Morning, has helped members of high society find love via her dating agency, The Sloane Arranger
Explaining why women can have a trickier time dating, Lara revealed it’s because there are often more women than men on online dating sites, making competition more stiff when it comes to bagging an eligible man.
She said: ‘It’s harder for women, There’s a lot of women with children who get divorced and then struggle to meet someone new.’
She said the number of women online dating is also high because those who have a ‘biological clock ticking have to be proactive to find someone suitable.’
In order to help women find The One, she has the following dating advice…
Don’t be engaged with your phone
Lara said: ‘This is a big bugbear of mine. We are all too attached to our phones.
‘Do not engage with your phone on a date, it’s the worst thing you can do – give the person you are talking to the attention they deserve.
‘Having your mobile out on the table at dinner time is an absolute no-no.’
Absolute no-no: Lara advises against paying too much attention to someone on the phone rather than your date (picture posed by models)Don’t take it too seriously
Lara said: ‘One of the things we often do is take a date too seriously. Laugh and enjoy every moment, it’s not an interview. A date is to be enjoyed.’
Don’t drink yourself into oblivion
Lara said: ‘I know we all get nervous on dates but don’t drink yourself into oblivion, especially on the first few dates. Stick to one or two drinks max.’
Stick to one or two drinks max: The dating expert says women shouldn’t overindulge on alcohol on their first few dates (picture posed by models)Don’t do dinner on first date
Lara said: ‘I personally think dinner is too much on a first date, you want to be able to get away if you are not getting on. Coffee or a quick drink is absolutely fine.
‘I wouldn’t recommend the cinema either as you need to see someone and be able to chat.’
Let him pay for dinner
Lara said: ‘On the first and second date, I think it’s polite for the man to pay, I know that’s contentious but if a man is inviting you for dinner it’s polite for him to pay for the first two dates.
‘It is kind for a woman to gesture to pay but I don’t think they should pay.’
Men should pick up the bill on the first two dates according to Lara (pictured posed by models)Don’t show too much skin
Lara said: ‘One of the things women often do is they get insecure and worry and put too much skin on show.
‘They reveal too much because they think it gets them more attention but unfortunately it’s the wrong kind of attention.
A little bit of leg is fine but don’t show everything off, leave something for the imagination. Less is more, be elegant.’
Don’t have sex on the first date
Lara said: ‘I would always say save yourself as long as you can.’
