By JENNIFER BIGLER
Dinner and a movie is not enough for many BYU students as they look for creative ways to liven a weekend night and save a little money in attempts to have fun.
'I tend to ask guys out every once in a while and I try to make it special,' said Kristen Keach, a sophomore from Newton, Mass. 'I get so sick of the same old date, so my friends and I do fun things like cooking contest for a fun night.'
Keach and her roommates have a large list of ideas for creative dates.
'We have dinners using unique items for silverware, go on picnics and have scavenger hunts,' she said. 'We once will sometimes have themed dates and dress up or have mystery dinners where people have parts they act out.'
Joseph Dylan, a BYU junior, from Salt Lake City, said dating can be financially draining, so he opts for cheap, creative dates.
'Dating does not have to make you broke,' Dylan said. 'I make girls dinner or take them hiking or something. I think that in the end girls enjoy doing something a little different over the same old routine of dinner and a movie.'
Some students would rather stick to conventional forms of dating.
Angela Labrum admits to going on a few creative dates but said they usually turn out disastrous.
'One time this boy took a bag full of cold sandwiches and brought me to an elevator in the Kimball Tower,' Labrum said. 'At first I thought he was joking, but then he took out a blanket and we ended up eating on the ground of the elevator. He then read stories to me after we were done eating. It was really one of the weirdest nights of my life.'
Although Labrum said she admired his flare for creativity, she never wanted to go out with her date again after that night.
Leslie Chambers also found she did not enjoy creative dating when she came to BYU.
'I think people date creatively because they are bored or they are too cheap to do something fun,' Chambers said. 'I really enjoy just eating out or watching a movie or something, especially on a first date when doing something out of the ordinary may be uncomfortable.'
'I love creative dating,' senior said Mindy Cannon said. 'It allows you to get to know the guy you are out with more than if you were sitting in a dark movie theater all night.'
Cannon admits she had never been on a creative date until she came to BYU.
'Where I am from no one really even dates,' Cannon said. 'When you did go out, it was to a party or a movie. Boys never really put any thought into dating so it is nice to see the guys here actually care.'
Keach said creative dating has brought her closer to her friends.
'We get to plan fun dates together and spend the whole night having fun,' she said. 'It has allowed us to grow much closer than if we were go on the same old date every weekend.'