Dessert, by the way, is an absolute necessity at any dinner party, and most especially during a dinner date. So many choices; so many lovely ways to add to your layers of romance and seduction. Make the dessert your last course of love and enjoy a sexy dish like chocolate dipped strawberries, or a rich brownie bowl sundae. There’s nothing more romantic than sharing a decadent chocolate dessert or lusciously fruity concoction, so indulge.

alcohol anyone?
Having wine or beer or even sake with dinner may be great for getting you both to loosen up and talk freely, but pace yourself. A drink or two might give you a rosy glow and get you charmingly chatty. But getting all-out wasted during dinner is a sure-fire way to make certain that the evening ends up with at least one of you either: (a) saying something really embarrassing; (b) doing something really embarrassing; or (c) both of the above. I tend to limit myself to 2 glasses of wine on a first date at my house. Share a bottle of wine or a 6 pack of beer, and call it a night. If you’re making mixed drinks like margaritas or martinis, serve water with them to ease the potency of the alcohol.

Once all the to-do’s on your list have been dealt with and checked off, remember: it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing or what you cook as long as you’re having fun. The biggest potential problem with having a first date at your house is that many people, both women and men alike, take them way too seriously. Enjoy the company, and remind yourself that the reason your date’s come over isn’t for a free dinner, but to spend some time getting to better know someone new in their life.