By Audrey Roach
So you want to go out with that special someone. Whether it''s your semi-serious boyfriend, or that super cute freshman girl in your Math 110 class, the important thing is that you make an impression with your invitation.
'I think that if you ask someone out to a dance or any occasion using a creative way that is specific to the person and your relationship, then it''s meaningful because it shows that you''re thinking about them,' said Ryan Moore, 21, a sophomore from Houston.
'If the way you ask someone out is an expression of affection, then it''s great,' Moore said. 'But if you just recycle the way your roommate asked out their boyfriend last year, then you''re just being a drone.'
Putting your personal touch on the invitation is the key. If you don''t know your object of desire, it will be a way for them to get to know you. And if you already have a significant relationship with them, then creative asking will allow you to show them how much you care.
Now for the 'creative' part of the dating culture at BYU, ideas might be easier to come by than you think.
Candy is always the fallback food group when trying to figure out a way to ask someone on a date. You can create a poster using different types of candy bars to tell a story, or to illustrate how you feel.
For example, 'I''d love to go out with a ''Big Hunk'' like you' would convey the fact that you are excited to go out with a 'big hunk.' It''s quite simple, isn''t it? The more candy you include, and the more clever the use, the better. This idea is by no means an original, so if you do decide to utilize it, make sure to put your own twist on it.
Misty Ison, 21, a senior from Ohio majoring in Psychology, was once asked out with a bucket of M & M''s. The note with the bucket told her to count them. If there was an odd number, the date was on Friday and if there was an even number, they were going out on Saturday, she said. After she finally counted the entire bucket of candies, a messenger arrived with a note that read, 'If you counted an odd number, subtract one.'
'I didn''t really like counting all of the M & M''s, but it did make an impression,' Ison said.
Baked goods are also a wise choice of artillery. This line of offense shows more effort than simply buying something at the store. Baking cakes or cookies with notes hidden inside is an old favorite, or simply making something tasty and dropping it off with a note can suffice.
Karly Stirling once asked her boyfriend out by writing 'Will you go to Preference with me?' on a paper plate and covering it with chocolate chip cookies.
'I think asking like that is pretty cheesy, but it can be fun,' Stirling said. 'I did the ultimate cheesy asking.'
She didn''t stop with baking, in another instance Stirling used fruit, melons to be exact, to accomplish her purposes.
'I left a cantaloupe and a honeydew melon on his doorstep,' Stirling remembers. 'I wrote ''Since we cantaloupe, honeydew you want to go to Preference with me?'
She says the answer was just as tacky. He baked some bread and put a note on it that made reference to 'hot buns,' she said with a tinge of sarcasm in her voice.
Balloons can be used to create a dramatic effect when trying to get that special someone''s attention. They take up a lot of space and they float, so they''re sure to be noticed. Most commonly, balloons are filled with slips of paper, confetti, candy, or anything else you can manage to squeeze in there.
Clint West, 22, a sophomore from Wilsonville, Ore., once filled balloons with puzzle pieces.
'The puzzle had a rhyme on it, so she had to put it together to get the message,' West said.
Scavenger hunts are for the more adventurous in spirit. Taylor Simmons, 20, a junior from Bainbridge Island, Wash., was once sent across campus to infamous landmarks, where she performed a specific 'task' in order to receive her next clue, she said. Once she had completed each assignment, a messenger would jump out of the bushes and hand her the next clue. '
'It was amazing and I really enjoyed it,' Simmons bubbled.
Whatever you do, make sure that you aren''t blatantly copying someone else''s idea.
Although a creative invitation can be entertaining, sometimes it''s simply better to straight up ask in person over throwing together a worn out invite.
'While I do enjoy it, it''s so - why do you have to make a production out of it?' Simmons said. 'One on one conversation is much more intimate and personal.'
At least that way they''ll know you have guts even if you aren''t outstandingly original.