First dates are generally a little awkward, but a first date with someone on whom you've never laid eyes? Definitely not for the faint of heart.

Maybe you're lucky enough to have a matchmaking friend or family member who has taken it upon themselves to secure your eternal happiness. Maybe you and your cyberspace love interest have finally decided to meet, although it seems like that would technically be more of a visually impaired date, as opposed to a proper blind date. Anyway, if you've recently agreed to go on a blind date, follow these six tips to ensure that it goes as smoothly as possible.

Before the Date

1. Stalk Them (Online)

Whether you've connected with your dinner companion through online dating or you've been set up through a mutual friend, you can arm yourself with a little bit of information. After you've memorised their online dating profile or pulled every detail from your matchmaker, look them up on social media. Sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn provide all kinds of fun facts, such as their employment history, their educational background, whether they share your love for cat videos and if they're not as (gasp!) single as maybe you were hoping.

2. Know Who You're Looking For

Blind dates are awkward enough without having to walk up to every eligible-looking person to find out if they're your date. Set up a well-defined meeting place and know who you're looking for.

During the Date

3. Let Go of Your Expectations

As we've said before, high expectations lead to disappointment, and this is certainly true when you're on a blind date. No matter what your friend has said about them or what he or she has said about themselves, don't expect to meet your perfect match. This doesn't mean that you should have low expectations. Just accept that you have no idea how the date will go.

4. Keep an Open Mind

Maybe in your excitement you forgot about Tip #3, and you were expecting immediate fireworks. Just in case the fireworks don't happen, remember that chemistry and love can grow over time. As long as you have some degree of social skills, you should be able to figure out a way to enjoy the person you're with if you keep an open mind.

5. Keep the Tone Positive

For some reason, in our quest to find common ground with someone, we tend to default to finding something we can both whine about. Whether it's politics, the weather, the level of service at a restaurant or a myriad of other things, it's just easy to complain. Set yourself up for a successful blind date by keeping a positive tone. Don't complain, and if your date starts to complain, casually change the subject.

After the Date

6. Be Honest

Blind dates may be tough, but being unable to gauge how it went is even tougher. If you had a great time and felt that you and your date really connected, be sure to voice that. If you aren't interested in scheduling a second date, gently voice that too. Expressing your opinion may allow the other person to feel free to do the same. Even if you are disappointed with how the date ended, at least you or your date won't spend the next week waiting for a phone call that will never come.

Having a tough time finding singles in your area? At Love2Date Singles, we have a range of lifestyle sites, making it easy to find like-minded singles in your area looking for friendship and romance. Signing up is free, so create your profile today to get started.