Singletons reveal ‘non-negotiable’ dating rules
A duo of best friends tackling the London dating scene have revealed their craziest dates and ‘non-negotiable’ rules for future partners.
Beth Thomas, 30, and Molly Cookson, 26, are trying new dating techniques to make dating fun again.
The search has led the two into bizarre scenarios, including a “triple date” with another friend and three men, and Beth has a Hinge date who drives 10 hours to pick up a new puppy with her – she has the met man only once before she left across the country.
Their four main rules are: have the date come to your area for the first date, arrive ahead of them, do a “little background check,” and share your live location with a loved one.
Beth shares the tips on TikTok with their 30,000 followers, saying, “Let them come to your area for the first date. How much effort do they put in from the start? We need to see some effort is what I’m saying.
Beth Thomas, 30, and Molly Cookson, 26, (right), from London, are trying new dating techniques to make dating fun again.
Beth said having your date come to your area for your first meeting will show how much effort they’re willing to put in
“Number two: I like to arrive before they do. I love sitting there with a drink watching them look nervous from a distance, talking on the phone and exploring the room trying to find you.
“Three – do a little background check. I like to search them on LinkedIn and any other social platform to see if I can find them.
“I also like to look at their tagged photos on Instagram and see who their friends are — is that a bit much?
“Number four – safety first please, let’s share our location with someone else.”
In a YouTube video, the two shared all about how they came to join forces and tackle the dating world.
Molly and Beth on a triple date, which led to a relationship for Beth. They decided dating as a group would be more fun and wanted friends to share the experience with them
After testing several dating apps, the two women found that dating was an ordeal, with many attempts at a relationship failing.
The two came up with a plan to triple the date, with their friends sharing the experience with them.
Beth added, “I like Molly and she likes me, so we knew if we were going on a date with two other people, we’d want at least one person out there.”
“We both set up our Hinge profiles that we both wanted to double date and I had a match.
“He said he had another partner he lived with who would like a triple date.
Beth said you should always share your live location with friends when you go on a date to make sure you stay safe
Beth also recommends a background check on your date and said she always looks up their LinkedIn profile as well as other social media
Molly suggested we start a group chat and we added some rules.
“The date itself was a lot of fun. We started the day with a big clean-up, everyone came here beforehand, we played some games and then it was time to do the escape room,” said Molly.
“Some of us had more successful parts of the triple date than others.
“It was clear to me and the guy I was paired with that it wasn’t really a romantic vibe from the start, but it was nice to meet new people.”
For Beth, the triple date was a huge success, which led her into a relationship after the fun night.
Now the girls are sharing their tips on TikTok (@2_girls_1_pup ) with 30,000 followers, discussing their red and green flags, awkward stories and what gives them the creeps.
The WhatsApp chat that led to the girls planning a triple date with another friend
Molly said: ‘My biggest red flag is if someone insinuates overly sexual things, that’s disrespectful.
“My green flag is being honest and communicative.
“An ick for me is when you get to the end of the first date and they’re waiting for the bus to come with you and then you have the awkward, are we going to kiss, aren’t we, kissing at the bus stop.”
Beth added, “My red flag is someone who is such a mansplainer.
“My green flag is someone who knows how to communicate with you, you know where you stand, you know what’s going on.”
The best advice the couple gives is to be yourself and trust your gut, and only do what you feel comfortable with.
Molly said, “Trust your gut. If you feel like you’re not ready, but people are faking it, get out there, trust your gut, go on the rebound, trust yourself.
“You’re the person who knows you best, so whether that’s trusting your gut with the people you’re dating, dating at all, how to do it, there are no rules.
“Everyone’s situation is very different – dating can be a lot of fun.”