Matchmaker, Matchmaker

Finding Love the Old-Fashioned Way

What is a fabulously sophisticated woman to do if she finds herself running out of wealthy men to frolic with across this darling island of Manhattan? Why, sign up with a matchmaker, silly!

What is wrong with a woman wanting to be judged solely on her beauty and a man judged on his income? In the caveman days, women searched for men who they felt could protect and provide for them. What offers more protection than a million dollar penthouse in the city and a Mercedes S-Class? Do you know how safe a doorman and a German car can be?

PocketChange, the New York-based company has created “Natural Selection Speed Dating”, a matchmaking service exclusively available to wealthy men and beautiful women. The first run of this elite dating service occurred last week at a swanky restaurant in uptown Manhattan. I wonder if these clever, take-charge individuals found true love, or at least a dinner companion?

The company has lovely plans for the future, including a matchmaking night for “Sugar Mama’s” looking for a sweet-young-thing to keep them company through lonely nights. Who knows, there may be another Ashton & Demi cavorting through this fabulous city.

Is it wrong to match people up based on shallow desires? Is this the trend matchmaking is taking? Are we getting down to what people really want and what could be the success rate of such an experiment? Who better to give your readers some answers than some of the city’s best matchmakers as well as those wishing to be matched?

As more and more singles are growing tired of looking for love on websites, at speed dating events or in personal ads, a new and yet somewhat old-fashioned trend is steadily rising in popularity. Matchmaking. This method of finding love has been around for centuries and is now getting a face-lift to compete with the times. Websites devoted to helping friends introduce friends are popping up all over the internet and training programs like the Matchmaking Institute in New York are preparing people to become matchmakers.

The matchmaking site Engage.com reports that half of all marriages in the United States are created through matchmakers, friends introducing eligible friends. That’s all it takes. Samantha Daniels was a successful divorce attorney who started her own matchmaking company. Her efforts were the basis of a short-lived television series, “Miss Match”. But what she offered her clients, and what more and more companies are beginning to offer, is a private and personal way to meet a potential partner.

Janis Spindel is a professional matchmaker from New York who charges upwards of $100,000 to find her clients a mate. Spindel has been in this business for over 15 years and takes the credit for 760 marriages and thousands of committed relationships.

With the increasing number of sites like Engage.com, Lovehappens.com, Matchmakinginstitute.com and Samanthastable.com, this is a fascinating topic that is growing in popularity and legitimacy daily.