It isn’t a bad idea to date someone within your group of friends.
However, if you were to do this, you would have to have the right approach.
It is important to let the rest of your friends know that you are both dating as early as possible.
People often hide this fact from the rest of the group in the beginning and this is a mistake.
This typically means that the rest of your friends who are in this group will find out from second-hand sources or through rumor.
The problem with rumor is that it can create stories that don’t really exist.
Some friends may be doubtful of your relationship because they haven’t gotten confirmation.
To prove their point, they may say things like, “Come on, those two would never date. They aren’t right for each other,” or, “She isn’t his type,” etc.
The rumor mill begins to go into a frenzy and eventually you will begin to feel the pressure of various members of this group of friends.
They may tell you about what this or that person said about you.
They may tell you about how this member of your friend group is spreading rumors about how you both are so not compatible.
You may even learn that some friends are beginning to pit against each other because one side may want you two to be together and the other may not.
You may even hear about how a member of your group of friends who may have liked you romantically but never told you is now getting upset over the fact that these rumors keep coming up.
In essence, there can be a tidal wave of events and rumors that can send your group dynamics into chaos.
Some people may start taking sides, thereby causing a rift in the group.
Some people may get jealous and act out in an uncharacteristic manner to those who are seemingly spreading these rumors.
To prevent all of this from happening, you should be honest and upfront about your relationship from the start.
Once you do this, you put the issue to bed.
Your friends don’t have to create rumors because there are none to create.
You avoid friction within the group of friends that would more than likely have led to friction within your own romantic relationship.
If you choose to date within your group of friends, you should also be fully aware of the fact that you have two relationships.
You have the relationship with your group of friends and that with your partner.
Sometimes, people can get these two confused.
They either spend too little time doing things together as a couple and most of that time doing things with this group of friends or they spend too much time doing things together as a couple and much less time doing things with their group of friends.
Neither one of these two relationships should suffer.
You should have a healthy balance of the two.
You should spend good quality time with this group of friends as well as good quality time separately with your new partner from this group.
Maintaining healthy relationships on both ends actually strengthens both relationships because neither one is being ignored or being taken to the extreme.