What is the method that Jewish Orthodox couples date and the courtship process?

In what ways does it differ from ';regular'; non-orthodox dates? Is there a difference when those in 40's dating vs. younger couple in their 20's?What is the method that Jewish Orthodox couples date and the courtship process?
In general, since boys and girls do not mingle, prospective matches are suggested by a third party. This can be a relative, a friend who has a cousin, a parent's friend who knows another friend's child, or a professional matchmaker, or ';shadchan'; in Hebrew. A match is called a ';shidduch,'; and a person who is interested in getting married through this system is said to be ';in shidduchim.';





In my case, a cousin of mine was at a Shabbat meal with an unattached eligible young man, thought of me, and as they say, the rest is history.





For young daters, just ';on the market,'; usually the parents handle the dating process. Protocol states that the match be suggested to the boy's side first. The parents will listen, call the references, call other people who might know the girl or her family, and discuss with their son how to proceed. Once the boy's parents give an affirmative answer, the matchmaker calls the girl's parents and presents the boy and all his information to them. The same thing happens with the girl and her parents, and when the answer is yes, they are interested in meeting each other and a date is set up.





Basic information includes looks, schools attended, future plans, family background, siblings names and schools attended(ing), personality, job, etc. This way one can be sure that the prospective couples are on the same page and are looking for the same thing out of life before they become emotionally involved.





Sometimes the boy will call the girl to set up a date, but I always preferred to have the matchmaker set up the date and not to speak on the phone before meeting the boy.





A date is considered formal, and most boys will show up dressed in a suit and tie (and hat, if they are more religious), freshly shaven and showered. The girl usually spends hours getting ready. I have a friend who gets her hair done for each date.





The boy will often rent a car to impress his date, and will show up at her parents' home, or at a prearranged place. The girl's parents usually like to meet the boy first, spend a few minutes talking and getting to know him, while the girl finishes up her last minute preparations. Then she makes her appearance, they say goodbye to her parents, and go out to his car.





This is the first chance they really get to speak to each other privately (assuming there was no phone call), but they usually spend the first half hour to an hour warming up, talking about mundane things, camp experiences, school stories, learning partners, etc. Sometimes they don't even talk about the future on the first date - they just try to see if they get along, like each other, and have potential to continue. For a first date, a lounge or hotel lobby is usually the norm.





I must note that there is no touching whatsoever - that has to wait until they are actually married. This ensures that a decision can be made clear-headedly, without emotions getting in the way.





After 2 - 3 hours or so, the boy will drive the girl back to her house. They will both think over the date and decide whether or not they would like to continue seeing each other. I never said no after a first date unless I really had a reason to, and most people won't either. It's hard to tell things about a person after just one evening together, especially if you didn't even talk about anything marriage-minded. When they have an answer, the boy's side calls the matchmaker and lets him/her know, and the matchmaker calls the girl's side to hear their answer. If they are both willing to continue, the matchmaker sets up another date.





This pattern continues, until around the fourth or fifth date, when the couple feels comfortable enough to set up their own dates. Phone numbers are usually exchanged, and the couple now speak on the phone in between dates as well. By this time, the dates take place at restaurants, at baseball games, at bowling alleys, or anyplace one can have a good time and still ';spend time'; with someone. There is still no touching at all.





If everything goes well, and the couple decides they have potential to make a good home together, the parents will usually meet to discuss financial arrangements. If everything is satisfactory, often all that is left is the proposal! Once that happens, it's ';L'chaim!'; and the engagement is made public.





During the engagement, the couple will usually see each other once or twice a week, and speak on the phone slightly more often. It is difficult to see and spend time with the person you are going to marry and not touch each other, so engagement periods are usually kept short.





The couple don't see or speak to each other for the entire week preceding the wedding.





For older couples, in their 40's or so, it is acceptable to meet at social events, or to be introduced by a mutual friend rather than through the shidduch system. At this point, they are considered old enough to know what they want and usually handle the reference-checking and suggestion-wielding on their own.What is the method that Jewish Orthodox couples date and the courtship process?
There are no Jewish Orthodox couples. Do you mean Orthodox Jewish couples?