The Right One PR

There has been no documented case of anybody EVER dying from meeting their significant other’s parents for the first time. Although there probably have been more than a few who wanted to prior or during that first meeting.

Yet according to Paul A. Falzone, CEO of The Right One and Together Dating–one of the world’s largest brick-and-mortar dating services with more than 60 offices nationwide—meeting the parents for the first time is really something couples should embrace.

“When a relationship progresses to the point where one of you wants to meet the other’s parents, that’s a pretty strong statement of how well things are going—and that is a good thing,” said Falzone. “And while nobody’s parents are going to hook you up to a polygraph like Robert DeNiro did to Ben Stiller in “Meet the Parents”, there are some basic steps you can take to ensure a smooth first meeting.”

Falzone suggests:

• Meeting at a neutral location – While it might be natural to go to your s.o.’s parents for dinner, it does put at least one person in unfamiliar territory. By meeting at a restaurant or, even better, coffee shop for dessert, everybody’s on a level playing field. Just as important, outings at those venues can be abbreviated to an hour or so, much shorter than a house visit. IMPORTANT NOTE: be sure to split the check 50-50.
• Attire – Keep it casual but don’t go overboard. Ripped jeans, t-shirts, short shorts or skirts probably won’t go over so well, at least the first time out. Dress similar to what you would wear to work if your company has a business casual dress code.
• Be yourself…but not too much – While you want to act naturally and be yourself you also want to make a good impression. In many ways, you should treat meeting your s.o.’s parents like a job interview. While you want to engage in friendly banter, you don’t want to get into subject matter too heavy for the first meeting (e.g. stay away from the Big Three of sex, politics and religion). In particular don’t use any profanities or other language you’re not sure would be acceptable.
• Do your homework – Sticking with the job interview theme, do a little research on your s.o.’s parents. Make sure you know the basics–name, age, profession, etc.–just enough so you’re not going in completely cold. If you don’t know this information as a natural part of your relationship, then just ask your s.o. well in advance of the meeting.

“While these tips can help you out before and during the meeting, the best piece of advice is wait until you’re both ready to take the step to meet the other’s parents. Wanting to meet each other’s parents is also a statement about where things are in the relationship. If you’re not ready, you need to say so or perhaps even evaluate where you see things going. But if you’re on the same page and ready to meet his/her parents, that is a good thing because it means your relationship is working,” said Falzone.

Help is on the way
Catering to more than 300,000 members at more than 60 locations throughout North America, The Right One and Together Dating are the largest brick and mortar dating services in the industry, offering a more consistent product, a greater number of potentially compatible mates and added value of flexibility in transferring memberships to another geographic region.

Romantic Locations

North American locations and affiliates of Together are located in: Indiana (Ft. Wayne, Carmel, Mishawaka); Kentucky (Louisville); Louisiana (Metairie); Maryland (Columbia, Frederick); Minnesota (Edina); Nevada (Reno); New Hampshire (Hooksett, Nashua, Portsmouth and Salem); Pennsylvania (Harrisburg);Ohio (Cincinnati); South Carolina (Greenville); Texas (San Antonio) and Virginia (Falls Church).

The Right One’s offices and affiliates located throughout the United States include: California (San Diego); Colorado (Glendale); Georgia (Atlanta); Illinois (Chicago, Downers Grove, Rockford and Normal); Massachusetts (Norwell, Newton Center, Shrewsbury and Woburn); Michigan (Bingham Farms); Nebraska (Omaha and Lincoln); New Jersey (Cherry Hill); Nevada (Las Vegas); New York (NYC); Pennsylvania (King of Prussia); Rhode Island (Warwick); Texas (Dallas and Austin); Utah (Salt Lake City); and Wisconsin (Madison, Appleton, Elm Grove).

Singles Station Dating Company, an affiliate of The Right One and Together Dating, is the largest independently owned personal introduction service in the Southwest. In the last 25 years, Singles Station has introduced more than 100,000 couples and is responsible for thousands of successful relationships and marriages. Singles Station Dating Co. has offices conveniently located in Oklahoma (Oklahoma City and Tulsa), Arkansas (Bentonville, Fort Smith and Little Rock), Tennessee (Memphis and Nashville), Missouri (Springfield and St. Louis) and will be opening soon in Kansas (Wichita and Kansas City). For more information about Singles Station, please visit www.singlesstation.com or call 866-807-LOVE(5683).

For more information about Together Dating and The Right One, please visit their websites at www.togetherdating.com and www.therightone.com, or call (800) 818-DATE (3283).