Who should pay on the first date?

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Traditionally, first comes love then comes marriage. And then -- well, you know the rest. But getting to that love point can get quite expensive. So who should pay on the first date?

"I think whoever asks for the date," Lori Zaslow, the co-founder of matchmaking service Project Soulmate. She says while the guy should traditionally pay on the first date, the woman should at least offer to pay on subsequent dates.

"I don't care if one person is making 20 times more than the other person, everyone needs to give," she says. "Nobody just likes takers."

Thanks to web dating sites and apps, people are going on more first dates than ever. Barbara met Bob on Match.com and they've been dating for seven months now.

"He paid for everything and it was a great first date," Barbara says. "He pays when we go out. I pay when I cook and I pay for theater tickets and things like that."

But had Bob not paid on that first date?

"No second date," she says. "Traditional, I'm older."

Even some younger people can be very traditional.

If you're worried about your finances, dating experts say that is why your first date shouldn't be a fancy dinner. Instead, you should just meet for a drink, a cup of coffee, or even for just a walk.

"I meet her 49 years ago and we are married 44 years," says Alfredo, who always paid for every single date with his wife and wouldn't have it any other way.

So what is their secret to a long, happy marriage?

"Respect, confidence, love," they say.