What Is Matchmaker and How Can They Help You

Let me ask you a simple question:  what is “matchmaker” in your opinion?  Is it an outdated concept, or perhaps a song from a classic musical? We are all familiar with the term, and most of us think the meaning of the word is obvious:  it is someone who makes “matches” between two people -- someone who fixes up people.  We all know someone who, upon meeting a single man or woman, immediately responds, “Oh, I have the perfect guy (or girl) for you.”  

This is just a “busybody” who doesn’t really know you or your likes and dislikes, but they are ready to get intimately involved in your love life.  These amateurs should be avoided at all costs.  For most of them, getting you together with someone is really about showing the world how clever and insightful they are.  If they were truly insightful, they would leave you alone.  Even if they don’t mean any harm, they are way too quick to set up people on dates.  After spending your hard-earned money and several awkward hours with someone else who has been forced into a date, the amateur matchmaker will then badger you for information:  “How was it?  Didn’t I tell you he/she is adorable?  When are you going to see him/her again?”  And so on.

Real matchmakers are professionals.  The profession stretches back to ancient times.  It’s as old as civilization itself, and originally matchmakers would arrange marriages that would unite tribes or rival factions of a society.  They might put together two young people to combine powerful fortunes.  They would even arrange the marriages of royalty to assure peace between kingdoms.  Matchmakers also arranged marriages for the “common folk,” and arranged marriages are still part of some cultures.  Usually matchmakers were concerned with making a “suitable” match and love didn’t play a role.  It was thought that if two people married, love would grow.  Or it might not, but they would still be happy in their suitable match.  

Today’s modern matchmakers are more concerned with putting two people together who will enjoy each other’s company, and people who share common values and interests.  They use modern methods and technologies to help them.  Where ancient matchmakers were often the royal astrologer, checking to see if the stars aligned for a particular match, modern matchmakers are more likely to use a personality profile.  Most dating services begin and end with an online questionnaire. 

But for a modern matchmaker, like those at Two of Us, the questionnaire is only the beginning.  They also get to know their clients personally.  There is a lot of information about a person that can only be gleaned by meeting them and talking with them.  Matchmakers read the subtle clues of body language, facial expressions and tone of voice to delve deeper than any questionnaire ever could.  That is why they are so much more effective than dating sites or amateurs.  They know both parties, but they don’t let their relationships color their judgment or evaluation of who might get along with whom.  In fact, their judgment is one of their greatest strengths.  If you are looking for someone who is truly compatible with you, then you should first look to a service like Two of Us, where a professional matchmaker can assist you and love definitely plays a role.