Gone are the days where love was simple, where a cute love confession meant that you are in a committed relationship. There was no confusion, no games and being together was a straightforward affair.

Nowadays, things have become more complicated. 

You have to work your way up to being in a relationship these days. There are several phases in the process: casual dating, exclusive dating, and finally being in a relationship.

Even though they sound similar, each stage has its own distinctions and for this article, we will be exploring what exclusive dating means.

Exclusive dating can feel difficult to define but we are here to help you.

Exclusive dating VS Being in a relationship

When you and your date decide after a few dates that you want to see one another exclusively, dating transitions from being casual to an exclusive one.

You can consider exclusive dating as the time between casual dating and being in a committed relationship. It can feel like a holding area before you move into a committed relationship.

 

Here’s what you would do in an exclusive dating relationship:

  • Date that one person only
  • Get to know them better
  • Meet their friends
  • Put your dating app activities (if you have) on hold
  • Agree not to date or see anyone else

And here are things you wouldn’t really do yet when you’re exclusively dating:

  • Call each other boyfriend/girlfriend
  • Go on trips together
  • Plan to attend events such as weddings and parties together that are a few weeks ahead

 

So exclusive dating is really like a trial run for a relationship. It’s the time when you get to know someone’s likes, dislikes, aspirations, dreams, goals, and plans for the future. 

If you both love getting to know one other and spending time with each other during this exclusive dating period, you will move into the relationship phase after that.

Let’s dig deeper into how exclusive dating works. Here are some guidelines you should follow when you are dating exclusively.

 

12 Rules of Exclusive Dating

1) Establish ground rules first

I’m sure you’ve heard that communication is the key to a successful relationship and it’s the same for successful exclusive dating.

Talk about the ground rules so that you are both on the same page. For example, imagine seeing your partner flirting with another person and you are not cool with that. 

And when you confront them, they might say, “It was harmless. Don’t act like my boyfriend/girlfriend.”

Ouch, that’s going to hurt! So make sure you make the both of you know what you expect from each other in an exclusive dating relationship.

 

2) Give them space

You should respect each other’s space. Even though the both of you have taken one step closer to each other, you are still new at it.

Don’t try to move too fast and claim more. Give your partner the space they need and they will slowly let you in when they feel comfortable sharing their lives with you.

You could say that this space is the factor that separates it from being a committed relationship.

So doing this is important. If you find yourself feeling clingy and needy, you might want to address it. Here are some ways you can deal with when you are feeling clingy.

 

3) Stop exploring dating sites

Now that you are seeing each other exclusively, it is only right to stop going on your dating apps — the both of you.

You can even uninstall them if you want. These apps and dating sites will only tempt you into checking other people out.

Even though you are doing it for fun, it might still hurt your partner’s feelings and make them feel insecure. Your relationship is not set in stone, so you wouldn’t want to do anything that might make things worse. 

 

4) Don’t be insecure

While you are exclusively dating your partner, your level of trust with each other may not be completely there yet.

However, you should try to be trusting and think of them positively. Because being insecure itself will do more harm than good.

If there is no sense of trust, your relationship is doomed anyway. So just go with your gut and trust your partner.

 

5) Don’t bring up their past

It isn’t necessary to bring up your partner’s previous relationships or exes. After all, everyone including you has baggage that we carry from our past. 

However, it is more important to live in the present and make the most out of it. Focus on having fun and learning new things about your partner. That’s the whole point of exclusive dating after all.

If you are in Singapore, check this article out for inspiration on fun date ideas to do with your partner.

 

6) Don’t talk about the future

 

In exclusive dating, you don’t really jump into talking about the future… yet. 

Even though you’ve been seeing each other for a while and you’re getting good vibes about it, you don’t want to scare your partner away especially if they are not ready to move to the next stage.

Try and read between the lines and see if your partner is on the same wavelength as you. If they are not, be patient and do not force them into a commitment they are not ready for.

 

7) Lower your expectations

Keep your expectations low in an exclusive dating situation. Doing this will help you feel satisfied with what you have and let time work its wonders.

Some of the ways you can lower your expectations are:

  • Do not expect your partner to pay all the time
  • Do not compare them to your exes
  • Do not let your partner do all the work, you can take turns to make plans
  • Do not expect to be the center of their world

 

8) Spend more time together

Now that you are exclusively dating each other, you should spend more time together. 

Go out more often and have more casual meet-ups. Tell each other about your day and involve them in your life. 

It is also important to know what they are like when they are not on a date with you. Spending more time together will help you gain a better understanding of them and vice versa.

Tip: Going on a trip might be too big of a commitment but you can always go on staycations. There is no better way to get to know someone than to wake up and go to bed with them. 

Here are some staycations ideas in Singapore that you can try.

 

9) Don’t go in all the way

Warning! Exclusive dating does not need you to go all in. Going all in and opening yourself up to your partner may be too much for them to handle. 

Don’t confuse exclusive dating with being in a relationship. Keep the deepest and most intense aspects of your life hidden. 

If things turn nasty, bringing such things up will only damage you in the end.

 

10) Focus on the fun

The goal of exclusive dating is to form a good connection and learn more about each other. In a way, this kind of relationship is more focused on fun instead of involving deeper feelings.

If in the end, things fall apart, you will still feel that you had a good run and there will be no hard feelings between the both of you.

 

11) Social media status

This can be tricky when you are in an exclusive dating relationship. Back to rule #1, this is one of the things you should discuss.

Clearly changing your relationship status on social media or publicly admitting that they are your partner would be too much.

You can still be friends on social media, tag each other in memes or leave comments on their posts but you wouldn’t want to do more than that.

 

12) Remember: exclusive dating is not a relationship

As annoying as it sounds, you need to remember that you are not in a committed relationship. This will keep you from being clingy and help you maintain lower expectations.

Exclusive dating is just a step towards commitment. But it may not turn out like that and you need to be prepared for it.

Keep these rules in mind when you move into exclusive dating territory. 

 

Exclusive dating can sound complicated but it doesn’t have to be if you are both transparent and honest with each other.

And if you are looking for exclusive dating sites where you can look for someone to reach this stage and beyond with, give Sugarbook a try.

Sugarbook can be considered an exclusive dating site for professionals; what I mean is that they are professionals at being transparent and honest as those are the core values of a sugar relationship.

Sounds pretty good, right?