[All-American]

I would say that it depends on the proximity of marriage in the relationship.

If a date is solely for the purpose of social interaction, the date need not even be a member of the church-- just somebody you'd get along with and have fun with. When narrowing the field, they ought to be fairly active, if not card-carrying. Once you are asking the terrible question "Should I marry this person or not," not only ought they to carry a recommend, but they should also have given sufficient demonstration that they have what it takes to make a marriage last for eternity.

Incidentally, if you were to gloss over a few details, I would say that I've dated both Friend A and B. I had suspected things wouldn't work out with Friend A well before they didn't, and I am still dating Friend B. Not a coincidence.