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“It’s spiffy,” said Renee White, a senior engineering major at the University of Alabama.
White’s pep and enthusiasm when talking about speed-dating both confuses and comforts me. I was personally terrified at the prospect of going on a speed date, and not for the obvious reasons.
I have no problem talking to complete strangers. As a journalist, it is what you do. However, I was completely mortified about admitting my dating desperation. I am hopelessly single and not always comfortable with it. So agreeing to go on a speed date seemed like publicly admitting that I needed one.
Still here I am on a Saturday night at Capture Studio Cafe, an ultra-hip and modern styled digital media coffee shop on University Boulevard between Yoga Bliss and the Children’s Hands-On Museum.
I am here to participate in an eight-minute date — well, a couple of them actually – and I hope that my nerves do not get the best of me.
J. Bryan Dill, University of Alabama alumnus and owner of Capture Studio Café, gave me some dating advice.
“Don’t put on a front. What’s going to happen when they find out who you really are? Just stay true to you.”
Every Saturday night, Dill offers singles around Tuscaloosa the opportunity to mix and mingle in a super cool, mellow non-alcoholic environment. The café’s lights are dimmed and Coldplay’s most recent concert DVD plays on a 9-foot-tall projection screen at the rear.
I was half expecting scented candles and rose petals to cover the tables, setting the mood. Luckily, there were not any. Still Dill has created an atmosphere that hints at romance, without forcing it.
Most of the other daters have shown up with friends who will offer support once the pairing off begins. I could not find any of mine who would come. Maybe they were just as skeptical as I was.
At the top of each hour from 7-10 p.m., Dill grabs the micro-phone and, as if announcing a race, asks that the women take their marks at a table while the men stand around getting set to date. As we all burst at the seams with nervousness and excitement, Dill gives us his one rule for our eight-minute dates: “No personal questions.”
OK, so I am supposed to go on a blind first date, which is going to be crammed into eight minutes, and I can’t ask any personal questions. Whew! This is going to be a cakewalk. Though I have never done a cakewalk either.
With all the pressure now lifted, knowing that I was not going to have to pick a husband, speed-dating does not seem so bad.
Single men go around to each woman’s table. The two talk and get to know each other for 480 seconds. After the eight minutes are up, the men move on — a lot like in real life.
At the end of the night, you rate your dates on date card. Dill then e-mails the person you ranked the highest, letting that person know that you are interested in a second date — hopefully one that lasts a little longer than the first one.
However, Dill contends that he is not a matchmaker and that the dates are about meeting others, not necessarily marrying them.
“It’s a game. You can only find out so much about a person in eight minutes,” Dill says.
First-time speed-dater David Schagren, a sophomore hotel and restaurant management major, said that he just wants to have fun and meet new girls. However, he has not counted out finding his soul mate.
“I think it’s possible to fall in love in eight minutes,” Schagren says. “I think that it’s possible to fall in love in a second.”
“You meet new people. There’s no obligation,” Dill says. “A lot of people keep coming back just to mingle.”
Capture Studio Café offers other events. On any given night of the week one might happen upon a comedy show, live music, film screenings or art showcases. The café is also open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and smoothies.
Dill hopes that Capture Studio will become Tuscaloosa’s first all-purpose hang-out spot: A place for people to find entertainment, food, culture and hopefully a date.
Dill has two words for his vision: “Capture memories.”
Regular Capture events
Tuesday night 7-9 p.m.: singer/songwriter showcase
Thursdays, 6-9 p.m.: ArThursday, featuring shows, classes and more.
Saturdays, 7-10 p.m.: Eight-minute speed dating
Check out the Web site to learn more about Capture and individual events: www.capturestudiocafe.com
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