Make me a match

Hiring someone one-on-one to match you with a suitable partner is, despite all the other options available, increasingly attractive to fed-up singles.

Canadian TV personality Erica Ehm found her wonderful husband this way. And even Dr. Phil recently tried his hand at matchmaking for American Idol's Paula Abdul on a special primetime show but found it isn't as easy as it looks. Tabloid rumour has it that Abdul has, in the past, used the services of a professional matchmaker.

It all sounds so old-fashioned and out-of-date when there are so many avenues for singles to meet and connect nowadays.

From newspaper personals, speed dating, lock and key parties, social events, sports groups, dating phone lines, cellphone texting and dating agencies to the most popular, online dating websites used by millions, there's a wide choice.

Yet, despite all the choices, many singles find not only are they too busy to search out a mate but also find the dating world frustrating and fruitless.

Gloria Macdonald, one of Toronto's top professional matchmakers, owns Perfect Partners (perfectpartners.ca) and says when her clients arrive at her door, they've "just about tried everything" to meet someone including online dating.

"They're people who have found dating generally unreliable and stressful with online dating overwhelming, time-consuming and full of misrepresentation. They say it's hard to know anyone from a profile or even a photo, and they also want more privacy with their search."

But she points out that online dating services have been beneficial in that they've taken the stigma away from exploring a variety of methods to find someone special.

"Singles are nowadays more open to alternative ways to find a partner," she adds.

Macdonald says she works personally with every client, most of whom are Toronto women aged 40-plus.

"I've twice as many men as that in a large database and we work much like an executive recruitment company to find them appropriate partners."

Her success rate is high and she says it's a combination of "instinct, art, personality profiling and science."

Lisa Ronis is one of New York's hottest matchmakers. She's appeared on many top U.S. TV shows such as Good Morning America and Dateline NBC and written up in publications such as the New York Times and USA Today.

She's also the star of a new W Network dating series Manhattan Matchmaker starting April 19.

A former executive in the fashion business, she says she found early on she had a knack for connecting people with the right partner.

"I've literally been practising to be a matchmaker all my life!"

She says she started Lisa Ronis Personal Matchmaking (lisaronismatchmaking.com) in 2000 to help not just her friends but upscale singles find their soulmates.

She says she not only works very hard to find them the right person but also acts as her clients' coach and confidante ("not to mention their punching bag!"), advises them on personal image and even gets them party invites.

Her clients are high-end, busy, professional men and women, 30 plus, who want to be married.

"Business boomed after 9/11," she says. "It affected everyone deeply and it became even more important for people to find someone to share their life with.

"It used to have a bit of a stigma to hire a matchmaker," Ronis says, "but now it's not only acceptable but a great way for ultra-busy people to find someone. I do all the work for them."

She says while finding a partner that suits clients is not that difficult for her because she's so connected, they can be very "picky," especially the women.

They all want someone with money, power, smarts and high energy, she says. She laughs. "But, hey, that's New York!"

Latest update on online dating is prepared by VALERIE GIBSON, WINNIPEG SUN and brought to you by http://www.datingservices-online.net

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This release was published on openPR.