Our Process | Medellín Singles Dating Service

The History of International Matchmaking

Many cultures for centuries have relied on matchmaking services. Most cultures before the modern age did not allow their children to choose who they marry. Nowadays, parents who see that their child is not able to find a spouse would seek a matchmaker to assist their son or daughter in finding one.

The Jewish people relied on shidduchs which refers to a system of matchmaking that goes back to the Old Testament. A professional matchmaker called a shadchan would facilitate the matchmaking process. This process was especially important for dispersed Jewish communities in the Middle Ages when courtship in public wasn’t acceptable.

The ancient Greeks relied on a promnestria, a female matchmaker. The kyrios or guardian of the bride, which was her father in most cases, and the groom would negotiate the marriage. If the kyrios would agree to the marriage then a ritual called engysis would begin. This is where the men would shake hands and say ritual phrases before the formal marriage.

In Japan, they have a custom called Omiai (Japanese: お見合い). The parents of a son or daughter are introduced to each other with marriage in mind. Some families ask for the aid of a nakōdo (Japanese: 仲人), a matchmaker, to find a suitable marriage partner for their son or daughter.

In Korea, matchmaking is called euihon (Hangul: 의혼; Hanja: 議婚). Families with children that are at marriageable age seek out a matchmaker. Korean families would go to these individuals with a resume or profile of their child. Those with high status or earning potential were in high demand. Matchmakers would be paid if a successful match is found.

In the medieval Western world, the clergy played as matchmakers. With colonization in North America during the age of discovery, especially in rural communities, social dances helped to connect marriageable-age men and women.

As America expanded west, the popular term “mail-order bride” was born during the 19th century and well into the 20th and 21st centuries. The pioneers of the old West couldn’t find a wife because of the lack of marriageable women present. They turned their hearts east.

Men would place an ad in the personals section of a renowned newspaper in developed cities. The ad would express their intent to find a woman to marry and a mailing address if she or the family were interested. The man would receive in the mail a photo of the woman with her details.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, science and technology started to introduce themselves and would pave the way towards the technologically assisted methods we have today. A 1924 issue of Science and Invention ran an article utilizing scientific methods to ascertain a match with a series of different tests.

With the birth of the internet in the late 20th century, expressing your intent to find a date could easily elevate to marriage. Such requests would happen on internet posting boards or internet classifieds websites. Traditional matchmakers saw the potential for leveraging the internet for their services in speed and scope. Hence, they entered the scene.

With the success of social media, the youth of today would later be given the autonomy to find a date and relationship by themselves. Through the use of dating apps, the youth could cycle through hundreds to thousands of profiles in a matter of days. However, these systems are still fraught with unverified accounts and catfishing since dating apps don’t hold accountability for the profiles made.

The Benefits of International Matchmaking

Matchmaking is as old as civilization for a reason. Marriageable men and women can expand the scope of their search beyond their capabilities.

Some men or women live in small towns where the ratio of marriageable partners is not in their favor. Others want to explore love beyond their hometown. Matchmaking allows these men and women to find someone suitable for them and eventually marry.

Verification of matchmaking is another key benefit of matchmaking services. A service that deals with false information will harm the company that hosts such services. It is in the interest of everyone involved that the service ensures verified profiles and safe locations when potential matches meet.

Challenges of Matchmaking Today

One of the challenges in matchmaking today comes from insincere participants. The nature of the internet allows anyone to put any kind of information on a profile. This can lead to communications wherein the scammer will ask the victim for money and out of the goodness of his or her heart will help the scammer and lose everything they have.

The best way this can be fixed is to discover a reputable agency that has verification as its focus. Medellín Singles, through its satellite offices, has staff dedicated to checking the profiles of these individuals and meeting them in person to ensure that what they say is authentic.

Another major challenge is on the part of those men focusing on their citizenship and money as a crutch to win the heart of a foreign woman. Their counterpart is foreign women looking at men as a chance to enter the foreign country of the man and get his money.

These ideally should not be the reasons for men and women to get married. It becomes a false hope for men to find love by solely relying on these factors. It is parasitic on the part of foreign women. Medellín Singles employs experts to advise men not to rely on these factors. These same experts advise against gold-digging or green card hunters and we exclude them from the service if they are found.

Cultural barriers are also a challenge that presents itself to participants in the international matchmaking process. Language barriers and cultural sensitivities are the usual issues. What could be worse than a service that puts a man and woman with no knowledge of each other’s language or culture and seats them at a table without coaching?

To respond to this, our dedicated staff ensures that these are not a problem in your matchmaking experience. We have the experience and knowledge of both participants’ languages to ensure that their interest in love for each other is delivered. We also educate and inform both clients how to act around the other person in real-time during meet-ups. In short, we know how to respond to what’s up on the minds of our participants.

How does an International Matchmaking Service Work?

An international matchmaking service works by gathering information from the participants. When you sign up, the service will ask you to input biographical information as well as your interests, hobbies, and the kind of woman you are looking for. The same is done for the women in the regions that the company works in.

Men and women proceed to engage with each other within the service. Engagement with each other will depend on the service. One great example is the sending of letters. This can be done in the participants’ language. It is translated and sent to the receiver of the letter.

Through such ways of communication, a man or woman may engage with multiple individuals and explore their options for finding a long-term relationship. The next step is for the men to visit their potential mate/s and engage in a singles vacation tour.

What is a Singles Vacation Tour and How Does it Work?

A Singles Vacation Tour allows the man to meet his potential long-term partner/s. It is designed in a way that doubles as a vacation. Once you agree to go on a singles vacation tour, the international matchmaking service makes the itinerary and lodging arrangements in the host country.

Once you fly out, the service sends staff to receive you and you will be placed in appropriate lodgings. These tours will vary depending on the type of trip you sign up for. Staff and relationship advisors are assigned to tend to your every need and question at any time.

A typical tour may consist of one on one matchmaking sessions to connect you with a specific lady/s, socials that host hundreds of women at a time to engage with, and tours of the region, among other activities.

One-on-one meet-ups and socials are overseen by the staff assigned to you to ensure that you are making the best decision possible while having the best chance of finding the right woman for you.

Cultural tours are done in between the meet-ups and the socials so that you can start to become familiar with the country that your future bride is from.

How much does a personal matchmaker cost?

According to consumer affairs, this can cost you between $2,000 for most matchmaking services to $500,000 for high-end services if it is personalized. It’s important to review the terms and conditions of the service to know if it’s right for you.

How successful are matchmakers?

A Forbes article reported that one of the largest matchmaking firms in the US reported a 95% chance of success. One of the factors was the selectivity of their staff and the clients they worked with. Matchmakers local or international understand that the firm’s success is reliant upon understanding the client and treating them as a partner in the process.

Is matchmaking better than online dating?

In online dating, you can indeed find people that share the same vision and characteristics you want in a relationship. What’s even better is that you get to do it by yourself and on your terms.

However, online dating has been viewed recently as a hook-up haven with unverified profiles. Matchmaking eliminates all the problems of online dating while providing expert and time-tested advice to those who are honestly searching for a marriage partner.