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... according to Andrea Messent, 29.
The thirtysomething dating scene is blowing up
'At Drawing Down the Moon we’ve got clients from their late twenties to their early seventies, but recently we’ve seen a surge of people in their thirties coming to us. A lot of our clients are too busy to look for a partner themselves.’
Big cities are the worst for dating
‘London and New York are two of the trickiest places to date, because you’re spoilt for choice. I’ve got a lot of friends who are on Happn and Tinder and they can have a date every night of the week if they want to, but while apps are a fantastic way of meeting people quickly, it’s hard to register a real connection.’
Footwear can be a big deal
‘We get clients who are fixated on little things, like height and age. Some reject potential matches for reasons as crazy as shoes. We tell them that we’re going to challenge them on these specifics, because by far the most successful matches are between people who are open-minded and positive.’
Matchmakers often headhunt clients
‘You get quite confident going up to people in art galleries or on the tube. One client was a golfer and wanted to meet someone who was really into golf. There was no one on our database who matched, so I went out to golf clubs, spoke to friends who golf and found a match. It’s still quite recent, so I don’t want to say if they’ll definitely stay together, but I was pleased about that.’
Blind dating works.
‘Our matchmaking success rates quadrupled when we stopped showing clients photos. We give them an honest and accurate description, email them each other’s phone numbers and then it’s up to them to get the ball rolling.’
Now discover the things you only know if you’re a mediator.