It is very important to make a lasting impression when meeting your boyfriend’s family. Click here for some of our best tips.
It takes less than 1 second to make a first impression.
New studies are discovering that all it takes is the blink of an eye for someone to form an opinion of you. Whether you like it or not, split-second judgments about you and your personality are being made every single day.
Yet, while it doesn’t matter what most of the world thinks, creating a great first impression is important when you’re meeting your boyfriend’s family. When your loved one’s family accepts you, it can be one of life’s greatest joys. However, if they reject you, the results can be fatal to your relationship.
While your hair, clothes, and makeup will play a part in winning over your future in-laws, looks aren’t everything. Your attitude, words, and behavior will also play a major part in determining how your boyfriend’s family receives you. Read on to learn the best tips for meeting a loved one’s family.
Meeting Your Boyfriend’s Family
While you can’t control the way other people view you, there are ways you can set yourself up for success. Here are our top tips for making a good first impression:
- Identify Your Fears
- Dress in Your Style
- Plan for a stress-free day
Overall, your main goal is to be yourself when you’re meeting your boyfriend’s family. To be the best version of yourself, you’ll want to begin getting ready by evaluating your attitude and identifying your fears.
- Identify Your Fears
It’s natural to have a few jitters when you’re getting ready to meet your boyfriend’s family for the first time. After all, you know that the way they view you will have a major impact on the future of your relationship. Instead of pushing the jitters away and ignoring your fears, we suggest facing them head-on.
Here are a few tips for overcoming your fears:
- Write down any fears you have
- Talk with a friend
- Visualize what you want
Start by writing down any fears you may have about your upcoming meeting. Be sure to include every single concern you have rolling around in your mind.
Are you worried they won’t like your face, voice, height, or hair? Write that down. Are you concerned you won’t know what to talk about? Write that down.
Whatever your concerns are, get them all out of your head and down on a piece of paper. Next, sit down with a trusted friend (not your boyfriend) and tell them about your concerns. Sometimes, all it takes is talking it out for you to realize a fear you have isn’t real.
Visualize Success
Finally, write a journal entry as if you’ve just returned home from having the perfect meeting with your boyfriend’s family. As silly as it may seem, writing a journal entry for the future is a great way to visualize what you want to happen.
- Dress in Your Style
Your outfit should be one your comfortable in, and that includes your footwear. As you decide what to wear, take the time to try on each outfit ahead of time. Check to see if the outfit’s comfortable to wear and whether or not it looks the way you thought it would.
When you select clothes that match your style, you’ll have an easier time feeling at ease in your skin. Instead of trying to pretend to be someone your not, you can focus on being yourself and having fun.
If you’re the type of person who normally enjoys dressing up, feel free to layer up with elegance. A brand new dress, with stylish footwear, is sure to make a long-lasting impression on family members.
Yet, if t-shirts and jeans are what you love to wear, look for an outfit that’s a comfortable compromise. For example, a good pair of jeans with a new shirt or blouse will show that you care about how you look without forfeiting your style.
- Plan for a Stress-Free Day
While it’s okay to be nervous or excited, you shouldn’t allow yourself to get stressed out on the day you’re meeting your boyfriend’s family. Instead, plan for a stress-free day by properly managing your time. First, we suggest you always give yourself extra time to get ready before you have to leave the house.
Rather than rushing home from work and then out to meet your boyfriend’s family, plan things in a way that you’ll have a little downtime. After relaxing for a little while, start to casually get ready, without any haste or rush.
You can even play fun, upbeat music, to make the getting ready process even more enjoyable. If you don’t have a lot of things to do to get ready, spend some time dancing around the house and just being silly.
Clear Your Schedule
Finally, one of the best ways to have a stress free family meeting is by clearing your schedule. Having events you have to attend after the family meeting can complicate the entire encounter.
Instead of being able to go with the flow and enjoy the moment, you’ll constantly be watching the clock, and calculating your time. To avoid stressing over time, go ahead and make sure you don’t have anything else you have to do after meeting your boyfriend’s family.
Eat Before Leaving
Are you planning on eating with your boyfriend’s family?
Going to events that involve food can be tricky. While you want to make sure you have an appetite, you also have to avoid being so hungry you can’t think straight.
To set yourself up for success, we suggest eating a small snack right before leaving the house.
Always Be Yourself
Meeting your boyfriend’s family can be a fun event that guides your relationship in the perfect direction. Yet, it’s important to remember that what your boyfriend’s family thinks of you doesn’t determine who you are. Instead of worrying about whether or not everyone’s going to like you, focus on how you think of yourself.
What matters most is that you like yourself, no matter what anyone else has to say. At the end of the day, fashion and beauty are all about getting what you want for yourself.
Want more ideas on how you can customize your style? Check out our Fashion section for more styling ideas right now!
