Singles parties have become a lot more mainstream but there's no question about it, they can be scary especially if you've never gone to one before and don't know what to expect. I've been going to bars for years and I can honestly tell you that the crowd is not much different at a bar than at a singles party. The difference between them is that at a bar you don't know who is single, people may not be as serious about meeting someone or they're just looking for a one night stand. At a singles party on the other hand, there are people just like you and me that ARE singles and most likely looking for something a little more serious. Single parties can be just as much fun if not event more fun than going to just an ordinary bar for the reason that you get to meet a lot more people.
Now, if you're going to get all dolled up and ready to go to a singles party to meet people then I suggest you see it through. It's really not a big deal folks. I get people coming to the door, humming and hawing about whether they should come in or not. If the party starts at 9pm and you arrive at 9:05pm don't expect it to be packed. Imagine if everyone came in and did that there would never be a party. If you're planning to go to a singles party then I suggest you go to the party and second guess yourself as obviously there was a reason you wanted to go in the first place. And...sorry to break it to you but if you've hit a certain age (I think you know who you are) you really don't have a lot of other options on a Friday or Saturday night. You need to find a bar that caters to an older crowd which is very hard to come by and believe me (aka the social butterfly of the century), the quality of the crowd in those bars is no better and your chances of meeting someone are much slimmer. Trust me, I know as I've been to all of them and more that just once.
This blog was inspired by a party Single in the City had just before Christmas. Three ladies walked in to the party at 8:55pm (doors barley open) looked in, noticed that there were only a few people there waited until 9:15pm and decided it wasn't busy enough so they left. People started filtering in, more men than women. Three more women came to the door and at this point there were a decent number of people there and they also decided not to stay for whatever reason. Sometimes women complain that there are more women than men at a singles party; we give them a room full of guys and they still don't want to stay what do we do? Instead, they probably found a local bar with 20 something's and 50 something men trying to pick up the 20 something's if you know what I'm saying.
The moral of the story is......try something new and don't go somewhere expecting the worst, always think positive and expect the best and it will eventually find you; that's how the universe works. The love of you life could be in that room but you'd never know it because you left.
Laura Bilotta is the co-founder and personal matchmaker for Single in the City. She has a background in television, sales, radio, media and promotions. Her many years of experience working in the dating industry allows her to share her expertise and give dating and relationship advice.
