Month: February 2023

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How to nail your pre-date preparation

Feeling confident into the ever-changing dating landscape isn’t always easy when your dreaded insecurities come creeping in. Even if you are usually an outgoing person, a long break from dating can impact how you feel about putting yourself out there again. Lacking in self-confidence can end up putting you off the idea of dating altogether.

It’s also a very familiar feeling to experience pre-date jitters at the thought of spending a whole evening with somebody who is essentially still a stranger. The good news is that although you can’t predict how the night will go, you can control the steps you take you build your confidence before you meet. This is where it really pays to have a pre-date ritual which you know will calm you and help you feel ready for a night out with somebody who could potentially be the right person for you.

The phrase pre-date ritual is used a lot but what it means is down to the individual to decide what helps them prepare for a big date. Here at Lucie, we offer access to a range of at-home specialists who are on-hand to help our clients get date ready.

We also know it really pays to take time out of your busy schedule to dedicate the time to self-care, and date preparation can start long before you are hours away from meeting. Getting date ready for many is not just about grabbing an extra half an hour to fine-tune your outfit choices.

With the turning of the new year just behind us, we’ve highlighted a few ways to ensure your pre-date preparation really helps you ooze positive energy and feel on top of the world!

Think about your wellbeing regime

It’s so vital to feel good on the inside as well as focusing on your appearance and outfit choices. Due to our busy lifestyles, our health often gets neglected, and our priorities end up falling to the way we look. However, your glow starts on the inside and keeping on top of your health goals is key to looking and feeling your best.

Small changes to your wellness routine can have a big impact. You might feel ready for a detox as spring finally approaches or you may want to try building some chilled meditation into your daily routine. Finding time to exercise also poses huge long-term benefits for your mind and body in terms of mood enhancement and weight loss. Whether you prefer a chilled yoga session, or you’ve set yourself a goal of completing a half marathon, exercise is a great way to take time out, improve your health and reduce your stress levels.

Work on your beauty goals if you want to

It’s not unusual to have hang-ups about different parts of your body. It might be your skin that makes you feel insecure, or the dark circles around your eyes that sap your confidence. There are plenty of different specialists available to help you target the areas you want to improve, but make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. Do it because you want to work on your beauty goals, not because you are worried somebody won’t be interested in you if you don’t look what, in your mind, is 100% perfect.

Soothe your nerves

If you can already feel the anxiety building at the thought of dating, you need to find a way to calm your nerves. If you’re overly worried about what someone else thinks of you, you will not be feeling yourself, let alone enjoying the date. As they say, confidence is sexy. Whether it’s going for a walk, getting a relaxing massage, talking to your therapist, or doing simple breathing exercises, there are many ways to suppress those nerves and empower yourself to feel ready and raring to go out!

About Lucie

Lucie offers a dedicated account manager for clients of Ignite Dating, providing advice and a concierge-type approach to their services, which are available in London, The Cotswolds, Hampshire, Surrey, and Ibiza. Please contact info@lucieapp.co.uk and 0333 880 6370 to find out more.

If you want to re-energise your dating journey, talk to the experts at Ignite Dating. Our matchmaking team work hard on your behalf to offer personalised introductions to amazing people. Get in touch today to find out more!

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Discover the best date ideas in Cambridge

There’s something for everyone when it comes to entertainment in Cambridge with plenty of great date ideas to be enjoyed there. The city is brimming with history, beautiful buildings, and has a romance of its own, making it the perfect place to enjoy a date, whether it’s your first or your fiftieth!

Cambridge is nestled in a convenient location for a day trip from many major hubs and cities and just a short journey from London on the train. If you are lucky enough to live close by, there are many good reasons to make the most of the ample attractions and hospitality venues on offer for your next date night. If you are in a relationship, it makes a wonderful place for a special mini break, giving you ample time to really experience everything the city has to offer.

We’ve outlined the most romantic date ideas to give you plenty of inspiration for exploring Cambridge’s cobbled streets and soaking up its extensive history.

Punting

If the weather is agreeable, no visit to Cambridge is complete without getting out on the water to enjoy a romantic punt. The River Cam lies in the heart of Cambridge which gives you unparalleled views of iconic Cambridge University colleges. You can opt for a chauffeured gondolier-like punt tour of famous Cambridge landmarks or try your hand (and test your balance!) by renting your own. You can punt towards Grantchester which is a lot quieter and leads to a gorgeous village. Many opt to see the famous sights, which include the King’s College Chapel, The Wren Library at Trinity College, and the Bridge of Sighs.

Get active

Alternatively stick to dry land and soak up the atmosphere at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden, 40 acres of gorgeous green space where you can lose yourself in the fascinating city gardens amid the extensive woodland and foliage.

If you want a great way to see the whole city, then consider hiring a bike. Cambridge is well set up for cycling with plenty of cycle lanes and places to leave your bike if you need a refreshment break. There are plenty of scenic cycle routes allowing you to explore surrounding areas and the city itself is conveniently compact and flat.

Eat and drink

There are some delightful places to visit in Cambridge, whether you have a blow-out budget or you are looking for some delicious cheap eats. The stalls in the historic Market Square offer a wide selection of food, from dim sum and noodles to gourmet burgers and Greek gyros. If you are looking for a more formal experience, there are restaurants to suit all budgets. The Varsity Hotel has an amazing roof terrace to soak up the beautiful skyline and two restaurants to indulge in. Other notable places to try include fine dining venue Midsummer House, which boasts two Michelin stars, and elegant modern restaurant Trinity, the perfect spot to enjoy some Champagne and oysters. Cambridge has more than 100 pubs, so you are spoiled for choice for drinks both inside and al fresco. The Pint Shop is a great place for laid back food and a pint, while The Granta has beautiful riverside views.

Take in the culture

There are plenty of amazing venues to explore in the historic city centre. A tour of the chapel at King’s College is a fascinating opportunity to see one of the city’s many highlights. Home to over half a million historical artefacts, works of art and masterpiece paintings, The Fitzwilliam Museum is well worth checking out. There’s also The Polar Museum, which holds a unique collection illustrating polar exploration, and the Museum of Zoology. End the day at arts venue Cambridge Junction which offers a packed programme of fascinating shows and live performances. For those planning a long weekend, the annual Cambridge Folk Festival features superstars and rising stars across the folk, blues, roots, and Americana genres. There are plenty of activities on offer to try your hand at and loads of great food and drink on offer from Cambridge’s finest food merchants.

If you are hoping to meet that person you just can’t wait to spend time with, give our expert matchmaking team a call today. We can work with you to really understand what you are looking for, helping you effortlessly meet the person of your dreams.

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Is it important not to get hung up on finding ‘The one’?

We are all familiar with the cliché of finding ‘The One’ but how realistic is it to pin your hopes on finding your soulmate? Many single people set out on their search for love hoping to find the person of their dreams, sights firmly set on discovering that special person who encapsulates everything they want in a partner. However, is it time we are all a bit more realistic about the kind of person who will make us happy?

Sex and relationship expert Tracey Cox recently pointed out that people marrying their supposed second choice is far more common than you think. Writing in the Daily Mail, she explains that a 2020 study of British people found 41% of people found themselves in a relationship with somebody they didn’t initially think was the one. Researchers concluded that the findings showed an acceptance by people that things can’t always be perfect.

According to Tracey, it’s not all about settling for somebody who isn’t quite who thought you were hoping for, rather than showing there are many people out there who can make us happy. She explains: “There is no ‘One’, no one ‘soulmate’ or one person that you we are ‘destined’ to be with. Instead, there’s a world full of lots of people who can make us happy.”

Fairy tales and romantic movies have long told the tale that there is one perfect person out there for us, a soulmate who we are just meant to end up with. However, it’s easy to get the early dating stages confused with thinking a match is made for you, because of the excitement of the early dating stages and the lust you feel in those heady early days of a blossoming romance. It’s important not to get these feelings confused with true love, as often it takes time to build trust and a strong foundation for a lasting relationship. Sparks can fly fast, but it is worth recognising good relationships are built on a lot more than mutual attraction.

This is where is pays to really think about the things you have in common that will make a relationship a success. There’s the basics, such as making sure they are on the same page about what they want to get out of the pairing, and they are seemingly just as into you as you are interested in them. There’s respecting the differences you have as well as what you have in common, and taking a genuine interest in each other’s life and both putting the effort in to make the relationship work. The list is long, but the point is there are plenty of elements which go into determining whether a relationship will be successful. The honeymoon stage of a relationship might make you think this person is the one for you, but time will tell if you have all the ingredients to make the relationship a long-term success.

Relationship success

The key thing to realise is all these aspects of a healthy relationship mean there are plenty of people out there who you may click with and go on to be partnered with for a long time. Back to Tracey’s article, where she explains that if a relationship doesn’t turn out to be your “happily-ever-after” then that’s fine as well. In life it’s common to have several significant relationships and when they end, it doesn’t mean it has been a failure. The important thing to realise, she says, is that when a relationship ends, you may have enjoyed many happy years together and when you are ready, there are others out there that can make you just as happy. She concludes it’s a far more comforting thought to believe you can find happiness with different people than getting hung up on finding that one person out there that you are meant to be with.

It’s a timely reminder as well not to keep a strict picture in your head of who your “soul mate” is, as you risk missing out on people who may have actually been perfect for you. Being open-minded to who you date and what they have offer is vitally important. It may turn out your ideal partner is somebody who you weren’t expecting to share chemistry with, but you agreed to meet to discover more about them. Of course, it is important not to settle with somebody you aren’t sure about, or who doesn’t fulfil you or make you excited about your future together. It’s more about being open to finding love in unexpected places and realising there is more than one person out there that can make you happy. That seems like a dating mantra we can all get on board with!

If you are frustrated with dates that just fizzle out and go nowhere, get a helping hand with finding your perfect partner by teaming up with the experts at Ignite Dating. We understand the kind of person you’ll really share a connection with, and we can’t wait to introduce you to them! Get in touch today to find out more about how we can help you with a stress-free and enjoyable search for love.

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How to juggle a demanding career and your love life

Having a full-on working life can be a big enough challenge and balancing it with nurturing your relationship can be pretty tricky. If you are both juggling long hours as part of your demanding roles, it can be hard to have enough quality time to dedicate to each other. And no, sitting side-by-side on the sofa frantically answering out-of-hours work emails doesn’t count as quality time!

These days it is increasingly difficult to totally separate your working life and personal time because it’s so easy to be connected to colleagues and clients. You may have your work email on your phone, and your WhatsApp pinging away with notifications from the office chat group. For many of us a profession is so much more than just paying the bills, so you actively want to stay connected and get ahead in a role that fulfils you. Our digital lifestyles can make you feel the need to be responding to messages during the evenings and weekends, which can eat into the time you get to spend with your significant other. This can build resentment if one of you is constantly bringing work home and distracted when you do attempt to unwind at the end of a long day. It can help when there is a situation at work that demands your attention you let your partner know that you need to turn your attention to work matters, so they don’t end up feeling ignored.

Fitting dating into your already busy schedule can be just as challenging as well. It can be easy to let the months melt away wanting to meet a new partner but not doing anything about it because work has taken priority. It’s all about finding time in your busy week to dedicate to searching for a partner, which takes self-discipline to block time out from checking emails, answering the phone, and switching off from work matters.

All is not lost though, as there are some simple techniques to allow you to carve time out to prioritise the joy of finding exciting people to date and making a relationship work even when your career demands a lot of your time and energy.

Make the most of lunchtime dates

It’s worth considering the slots of time you do have free during the week. Lunch hours, or even the time before work, can be the perfect opportunity to fit in some dates while you are feeling energetic, without eating into your evenings. Long working days can mean you don’t feel up to committing to lots of dates after work, but daytime meetups can solve the problem of feeling too tired to date. If you are in a long-term relationship, use breaks during the day to get in touch with your partner, or even meet up to share a short-but-sweet lunch break. Just a quick text or sharing a funny article you’ve read shows them you are thinking about them.

Prioritise time for each other

No matter how tired you both areat the end of the day it’s important to check in with each other, finding out about each other’s day has gone. It is important to support each other and show interest in your respective roles. Try and make each other laugh and find joy in the special everyday moments you share. Time off together is so precious that it’s important to really be in the moment. Try turning your phone off after a certain time or delay replying to texts to ensure you are really paying attention to each other. If you are dating, it’s about really being there and not getting distracted by your phone, which can come across as rude. Being skilled at listening is another great technique to use when you are on a date because it can really help somebody feel valued if you are properly listening to what they are saying. Nobody likes it when you are being interrupted by another text or you are distracted by a conundrum you are dealing with back in the office.

Think about your shared goals in a relationship

Having goals and dreams you both want to achieve can help you both feel like you are working towards something together. Creating a bucket list can give you something to look forward to, and it helps to have something in the diary when life it so hectic it feels like you barely see each other. Scheduling breaks is important for your career as well, as nobody is at the top of their game when they are burned out. It’s a win-win to have some weekend trips and holidays planned with your partner – where apps you use for work and professional emails are left firmly untouched.

Streamline your life

Sometimes there are just not enough hours in the day, and you need to consider what help you can access to make your week less hectic. It might be something as simple as ordering a recipe box, so you have dinner sorted for a few nights of the week. Perhaps getting a cleaner would lighten you load or paying a gardener to mow the lawn. Don’t be afraid to ask each other for help if you are living together and getting overwhelmed with balancing the chores you usually take on at home, as communication is key to avoiding resentment building that one of you is getting snowed under in all aspects of life.

Have you decided now is the right time to concentrate on your search for love? Then turn to the experts at Ignite Dating for help finding the person of your dreams! We are experts in understanding what you want in a relationship, and we’ll introduce you to people you’ll really connect with. Working with a matchmaker leaves you free to enjoy a stress-free and easy search for love, leaving all the hard work to the experts.