Even though it’s Halloween, I promise I won’t Ghost You!

Halloween has been always an important holiday for singles looking to meet new people in a more casual setting and this year is no different.  Other than the virtual and socially distanced festivities and platforms required to safely partake in its festivities, it is important to pinpoint what works and what does not to make the search for love as effective as possible.  

  • Choosing a costume, right down to the details give a very clear first impression.  Pick something that reflects your interests, your date will begin to get a sense of who you are, right away. If your stuck go with eye catching funny!
  • Planning a seasonal date is very romantic, even if its spooky season.  Do some research for an outdoor, socially distanced, and perfectly themed safe Halloween date.
  • Skip the candy and savour sweet moments; throw a virtual Halloween Party.  If you cannot spend it in-person, get a group of friends and your potential new crush for a virtual gathering, costumes mandatory and see how your date fits in with your core group.

To join Matchmaker for Hire’s extensive, international network of singles and find that special someone ahead of the spookiest day of the year, please visit www.matchmakerforhire.com or email [email protected]

/by

Are you a Cat or Dog “Single” Person

Pets have been openly discussed for a generation as surrogate ‘fur babies.’ We now see an emerging trend among young professionals since the imposing restrictions during the wave of Covid.  Having been forced to weeks of physical distancing, it is also driving many people of all ages to seek out emotional closeness during this period of isolation and get a baby animal.

Over half of people in BC love their pets more than their partner and all of them say they would consider NOT dating someone they suspected their pet did not like. As well, pressuring a partner to give up a dearly loved pet can also result in irreparable damage in dating.  So yes, it matters, sound familiar?

Here are a few considerations to determine if your “dog or cat person” considers them more than a pet:

  • They admit to shedding a tear when they must leave their pet at home at night
  • They share more pictures on social media than of their family
  • They brought their pet on a date (I know a lot guilty of that one)
  • They make up songs to sing to their pet like they are auditioning for American Idol!

No matter how you look at it, pets are extremely common in BC and around the world and one third of the population has a least one pet and is a fundamental part of who we are.

 So, which one are you?   Send us a comment with your experience!

/by

Thanksgiving Single Shame – You don’t “need” a relationship. You “want” one.

This weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada and if you are single you know the usual risks that the obnoxious questions about why you’re still single are coming.  Even though thru a pandemic you might get a reprieve, however if not, I am not saying it won’t sting a little bit.  It’s a lot harder if you “want” to have a true partner in your life and you don’t have one currently. 

If you’re single and looking, here’s a few things to know. 

Ground yourself in knowing that there are many people, like you who “want” a relationship and they are not letting a pandemic get in the way.  In some ways its different and in some ways its not.  As a Matchmaker, working with singles for almost 2 decades, I can speak with experience and direct commentary on dating today. We are all about connections and are setting up our clients on face-to-face dates, while remaining dedicated the health and safety of our clients.  We are also hearing from our clients that there are higher quality chats that are leading to 2nd and 3rd dates. 

Don’t forget –It will take more than a pandemic to keep us from finding Love!

/by

As if all the self doubt on a 1st date was not enough.

As if all the self doubt on a 1st date was not enough.  Here are a few quotes that will lead you to where you want to be in finding a partner, all the time telling you to take that leap of faith.  Don’t care or try to think about what they want, worry about yourself today.

“There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” ― Aristotle

“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.”— Oscar Wilde

“You probably wouldn’t worry about what people think of you if you could know how seldom they do.” ― Olin Miller

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”— Dr. Seuss

“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. “― Suzy Kassem

“Some people say you are going the wrong way, when it’s simply a way of your own.”— Angelina Jolie

/by

If Loving a Leftie is wrong, We don’t wanna be Right!

Thursday is International Left-Handers Day and it made me think about a few studies I found.  There is no denying it; southpaws have had a tough run, strange prejudices, taboos, negative mentions in the bible, but despite all that right-handed flack, lefties are a pretty badass group.  After all a relationship is all about balance- so put your right hand out there and grab a leftie to make a match.

Being left or right-handed influences the direction a person tilts their heads when kissing- although it was only the case if they initiated the kiss. Research found that more than two-thirds of “kiss initiators” and “kiss recipients” turned their heads to the right and men accounted for 79% of the kiss initiators.  The head-leaning direction of the kiss initiator also strongly predicted the head-leaning direction of the kiss recipient.   Ok now we’ve figured out the kissing, does right versus left matter in the sack?  Oh you bet.  Over 80% of left-handed people reported they were “extremely satisfied” with their sex lives.  Only 15% of the righties could say the same.

 Either way, lefties have the upper hand— That’s a chance everyone should take!

#internationallefthandersday #lovematters #findlove #love #relationshipgoals #matchmaker #matchmakervictoria #matchmakervancouver #matchmakerforhire #janecarstens #matchmakerverified #irecommend #matchmakertestimonial

/by

LOCAL LOVE – Listen up YYJ, Victoria Singles do Exist

Are you looking for LOVE in all the right places — Victoria?

I hear it everyday, where are all the singles?  Well listen up YYJ, Victoria Singles do exist—and they are not hard to find. I think we can all agree that, we are more than ready for a fresh start and have something fun to look forward to in the year ahead. 

If you have decided to leave it to luck alone — I decided to turn to the science of it and research some Stats Canada and our own data to find the highest concentrations of single women in Victoria. 

The highest concentration overall is in North Park, Harris Green and Downtown.  Surprising?  Well that is also true for much of South Jubilee, Vic West and Burnside areas. But take a drive out to rural Langford, the odds of finding a single woman much lower.  There, less that two out of ten women are single.

Look at our #locallove beauty featured in Victoria Times Colonist August 7&9, 2020 — Sometimes a guy needs a little help!

/by

Single Dads can Teach their Kids Healthy Dating Attitudes

Looking for love…… Duh.

Looking for a partner…… Absolutely.

In essence: Dating is life. Parenting is life. Stop making such a big deal out of the former, and the latter becomes far less complicated.

Who would not want their kids to see resilience, and for the single parent it means loving again and not just coping?  Which brings us to the big question of when.  Most of the singles we work with say that the kids do have to be in the mix to see if the relationship is going to work.  For some, who did not want anything too serious they bring their kids around their new potentials as a deterrent – and then watch in awe as they threw themselves in the mix with them.  Instead of sabotaging the relationship with their kids, they just sweetened the deal……something worth exploring.   

One thing we feel strongly about is people who (and if this is you, sorry) say, “Oh we’ll just tell the kids we’re friends hanging out”.  Do not lie, kids know everything.

Our Take, when you are ready, bring around your family. Sure, consider how you do this post Covid, respect your kids’ reactions, talk about it with them.  But do not feel guilty, you are normal, and this is healthy.  That said, there are plenty of good reasons to take your time introducing your kids to your new amore.  Maybe you don’t ever introduce them at all.

/by

Love after Lockdown? It’s not looking too bad!


We may not have been able to meet our Mr, Ms, or Mx Right physically over the past few months, but we might actually be making deeper connections thanks to lockdown. Today we are seeing that people are taking dating far more seriously, and people have become aware of how precious life and time is, so they are investing their energy in more authentic, connected conversations.

We’re hearing from our clients that there are higher quality chats and there is a significant spike in us setting up social distance walks which are leading to 2nd and 3rd dates.

It will take more than a pandemic to keep us from Love!


#matchmaker #matchmakervancouver #love

/by

Getting Back Out There: Dating in this new world

You can still meet that right person, even as we emerge slowly from months of confinement. At Matchmaker for Hire, we’re all about connections while remaining dedicated to the health and safety of our clients. We know how difficult and isolating the past weeks have been for many people, but’s now’s not time to meet your match in real life without respecting the rules of physical distancing. Currently, we’re recommending walks and outdoor meetups where proper spacing can be maintained. In addition, we’re actively vetting our clients by asking them if they’re displaying any symptoms for COVID-19 before we set them up on dates. We’re vigilantly monitoring COVID-19 developments and continue to be looking to the Public Health Agency of Canada, HealthLink BC and BC Centre for Disease Control for guidance and recommendations.

 But, until the situation changes, let’s keep the words of Dr. Bonnie Henry top of mind: 

“We’re social people… let’s do it in small, thoughtful ways, and also let’s be really concerned about ourselves and if we are feeling unwell or under the weather, put it off for another day.”

Please be advised that at every single client interaction, we will be asking the following questions:

  • (i) Do you have new/worse cough or shortness of breath?
  • (ii) Are you feeling feverish or have had shakes or chills in the last 24 hours? (> 38 degrees Celsius)?
  • iii) Are you or someone that lives with you currently self-isolating?
  • Has anyone in the home had influenza-like symptoms within the last 14 days?
  • Have you or anyone you’ve come in contact with travelled within the last 14 days? Where?
  • Have you had contact in the last 14 days with a sick person?

/by

First Dates over Phone, FaceTime & Zoom- Do they work?

In some ways virtual dating is a different ballgame from meeting someone in real life – and in some ways it is not.  As someone who can speak with experience and direct commentary on dating today, it’s a well-known fact that dating at any time is not for the faint of heart or those easily discouraged.  As the old saying goes that you must kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince—and yes it kind of applies, however fortunately for you I know a lot of frogs.  Nevertheless, there is by no means a guarantee for meeting the love of your life, however I can guarantee there is one in the bunch that you might want to take a chance on. 

During this delicate time when finding love has been disrupted, for the most part, my clients have been open to a virtual date after receiving a recommendation of a profile that is a good match.  It’s a chance to make an effort to get to know someone virtually by a pre-face-to-face meeting and there are certain aspects of a relationship potential you might be able to gather before a real in person date in the near future.   However, there are certain aspects of a relationship you are never going to be able to gather from online interactions alone.  In these times we suggest not drawing out the pre-face-to-face meeting for too long and for those who feel comfortable have enjoyed a social distancing walk as the next step with success. 

Here are a few virtual date feedbacks from actual clients:

  • “It was good-nice 30 min conversation. Cold introductions aren’t easy and I am a firm believer in connection. He’s intelligent, thoughtful, engaged.  I will have another conversation with him, probably facetime and see how it goes.”…..Janine
  • “John and I are “seeing” each other and we would like to let you know we enjoy our time together”……Heather
  • “It was good. We talked for a while. She is interesting”…… John

Dating should be fun and it shouldn’t feel like work.  Check in with yourself regularly and if it’s feeling like a chore you’re not enjoying yourself, then take a break and wait for the opportunity for when things return to REAL face-to-face dating.  It will be here before you know it.

#nationalkissofhopeday #findlove #loveisnotcancelled #dating

/by