Finding the perfect partner can be a laborious task.
Our grandparents had it easy. Simply meet the love of your life at your first dance aged sixteen and there you have it, a lifetime of married bliss awaits. Dating- or ‘courting’ to the older generation- was so much more romantic back then. Young lovers could be torn apart for months at a time by war and revolution, never knowing if they’ll see each other again. Dating was special, meaningful and well-intended. Fast forward to 2009 and Grandma and granddad wouldn’t know what hit them.
The London dating scene is a precarious jungle. Gone are the days when you could simply meet someone in a bar, ask for their number and then arrange a series of dinners, movies and other generic dating activities. The process has taken on new and exciting-if not terrifying- dimensions. Thanks to our little friend Mr. Internet, you can coordinate your entire romantic life online. In addition to the countless dating websites, you can also sign up for one of the many speed dating nights that are held daily in the capital and organised exclusively on the web.
Who said romance was dead?
Now, only in the hustle and bustle of the City could speed dating be so successful. Most of us don’t even have time to wait for a bus let alone endure the dating game. One date can take up an entire evening and if it turns out to be a disaster you’ve wasted you’re precious time and your even more precious pennies. Speed dating seems to be the logical solution to this dating dilemma. There’s the chance to meet up to thirty eligible (ahem- attractive, fun, professional and socially acceptable) partners all in the space of one evening- a mere four minutes per date. Sounds too good to be true...
So how does it work? Firstly, you register your details and choose the best time, age group and location available. The 21-30 group on this occasion was held at uber-posh Soho champagne bar Amuse Bouche. First problem- its not cheap. Expect to pay over twenty quid just to reserve your seat. Upon arrival, we were pleased to see that the place wasn’t decked out with awkwardly numbered tables for two but was a dimly-lit bar containing what looked like fifty or so normal people. After buying an extortionately-priced drink, the host introduced the evening and explained the rules. Pretty simple stuff, everyone was to wear a name tag with a number on it, the girls would sit in the same place and the men would rotate after each date. The end of each date was signalled by an unnecessarily-loud horn that would be blasted after four minutes was up.
It is surprisingly difficult to whip up a verbal frenzy in four minutes. Many - if not all - of the dates follow the identical conversational pattern “Is this your first time speed dating? What do you do? Did you come with friends?” Yawn. There will also be the odd character who will try to be unique by plonking themselves down and announcing things like “right let’s slow this show down” (insert fingers down throat now). Don’t have unrealistic expectations. Speed Dating can be a great way of meeting similar people in a short space of time but it’s not soul mate central.
So before the night kicks off, each hopeful is provided with a sheet where you can score your dates with a heartfelt ‘Yes’, ‘No’ or ‘Friend’. Now the fun really starts, the next day you input your scores online then you find out if you have any matches. Ta da. My friends and I were unlucky (or lucky- depending on personal preference) on this occasion. Darn. Fear not however- if, on the likely occasion you don’t get any matches you can come to your next evening free. This was a nice touch that seemed to make the twenty quid slightly more worth it.
Call me old fashioned, Speed dating is definitely something to try once, but that’s probably all. Great for a giggle with friends or at yourself - just don’t expect to meet your future spouse.
Speed dating websites worth a look:
We used: http://www.originaldating.com/
Other:
http://speeddatinginlondon.synthasite.com/
http://www.grapevinesocial.com/
http://www.speeddater.co.uk/
Our grandparents had it easy. Simply meet the love of your life at your first dance aged sixteen and there you have it, a lifetime of married bliss awaits. Dating- or ‘courting’ to the older generation- was so much more romantic back then. Young lovers could be torn apart for months at a time by war and revolution, never knowing if they’ll see each other again. Dating was special, meaningful and well-intended. Fast forward to 2009 and Grandma and granddad wouldn’t know what hit them.
The London dating scene is a precarious jungle. Gone are the days when you could simply meet someone in a bar, ask for their number and then arrange a series of dinners, movies and other generic dating activities. The process has taken on new and exciting-if not terrifying- dimensions. Thanks to our little friend Mr. Internet, you can coordinate your entire romantic life online. In addition to the countless dating websites, you can also sign up for one of the many speed dating nights that are held daily in the capital and organised exclusively on the web.
Who said romance was dead?
Now, only in the hustle and bustle of the City could speed dating be so successful. Most of us don’t even have time to wait for a bus let alone endure the dating game. One date can take up an entire evening and if it turns out to be a disaster you’ve wasted you’re precious time and your even more precious pennies. Speed dating seems to be the logical solution to this dating dilemma. There’s the chance to meet up to thirty eligible (ahem- attractive, fun, professional and socially acceptable) partners all in the space of one evening- a mere four minutes per date. Sounds too good to be true...
So how does it work? Firstly, you register your details and choose the best time, age group and location available. The 21-30 group on this occasion was held at uber-posh Soho champagne bar Amuse Bouche. First problem- its not cheap. Expect to pay over twenty quid just to reserve your seat. Upon arrival, we were pleased to see that the place wasn’t decked out with awkwardly numbered tables for two but was a dimly-lit bar containing what looked like fifty or so normal people. After buying an extortionately-priced drink, the host introduced the evening and explained the rules. Pretty simple stuff, everyone was to wear a name tag with a number on it, the girls would sit in the same place and the men would rotate after each date. The end of each date was signalled by an unnecessarily-loud horn that would be blasted after four minutes was up.
It is surprisingly difficult to whip up a verbal frenzy in four minutes. Many - if not all - of the dates follow the identical conversational pattern “Is this your first time speed dating? What do you do? Did you come with friends?” Yawn. There will also be the odd character who will try to be unique by plonking themselves down and announcing things like “right let’s slow this show down” (insert fingers down throat now). Don’t have unrealistic expectations. Speed Dating can be a great way of meeting similar people in a short space of time but it’s not soul mate central.
So before the night kicks off, each hopeful is provided with a sheet where you can score your dates with a heartfelt ‘Yes’, ‘No’ or ‘Friend’. Now the fun really starts, the next day you input your scores online then you find out if you have any matches. Ta da. My friends and I were unlucky (or lucky- depending on personal preference) on this occasion. Darn. Fear not however- if, on the likely occasion you don’t get any matches you can come to your next evening free. This was a nice touch that seemed to make the twenty quid slightly more worth it.
Call me old fashioned, Speed dating is definitely something to try once, but that’s probably all. Great for a giggle with friends or at yourself - just don’t expect to meet your future spouse.
Speed dating websites worth a look:
We used: http://www.originaldating.com/
Other:
http://speeddatinginlondon.synthasite.com/
http://www.grapevinesocial.com/
http://www.speeddater.co.uk/
