Female, 33 (Brooklyn, New York)
& Male, 38 (new York, New York)
Success Story
Ever since the time of that initial phone call, when they spoke to each other before meeting for the first time, Lauren and Mike knew that they were about to experience something different. For their first date, they went to dinner in the city and stopped by Tasti D-lite for dessert, enjoying each other’s company the whole time. Shortly after, their relationship progressed to be very serious for both of them and within time, they both realized how they were meant for each other. Lauren attributes the reason for their deep bond is due to several factors: they had similar backgrounds, they have same goals and beliefs, they share a lot in common, and they kept having fun on their dates. “For me I would say that Mike is pretty close (to the image I had in who I would marry)… we have lots of similarities and are on the same page about most things,” says Lauren.
Mike planned the proposal for their 8th month anniversary. He arranged for both of them a carriage ride through Central Park, then they strolled along 5th avenue until they reached the Union Square Café. Much to Lauren’s surprise, a bouquet of roses that Mike had arranged to be delivered was waiting for them at their table. Later that night, they went to comedy cellar to see a comedy show and afterwards, he told her that he had one more thing waiting in his apartment for her, so they went back to his apartment. When Lauren walked through the door, Mike presented her with two-dozen more long-stemmed roses that were waiting for her on his dining room table. As Lauren remembers: “He then told me how much he loved me, how I changed his life, and how much he wanted to spend his life with me. We still had our jackets on and he got down on one knee and proposed by pulling the ring out of his pocket. I said yes! The day before he proposed he contacted my parents, went over to their house, and asked their permission. He did all this without my knowledge and my parents didn’t tell me either.”
Before both of them have previously tried blind dates, parents friends suggestions, speed dating, other dating websites, and Jewish single events, but were unsuccessful. One of the challenges for both of them was their location. Neither of them live in Manhattan, where the majority of the Jewish singles in the greater New York area live, which was a hassle because “they (Jewish Manhattanites) don’t like to travel out of their neighborhoods for dates, so being in the outer boroughs is too far for them,” explained Lauren. Another challenge, Lauren added, is “you never quite know what the other person is looking for in terms of date/relationship/personal qualities, so you never quite know what to say or do. I also found that many guys were not looking for serious relationships and I think we both found that many potential matches just didn’t match up to our personal standards.”
According to Lauren, they both had hesitations meeting online due to its unnatural setting, but within their work and social circles, they were not meeting anyone they could date, so going on JRetroMatch/SYAS was just another avenue to explore. After finding out that a few of her friends and colleagues met their spouses online and seem very satisfied, Lauren decided to give it a shot. What surprised her most about the site and the matchmakers was the different setup. Unlike other dating website, SYAS/JRetroMatch had dedicated matchmakers that selected members profiles to send to their clients in order to ensure efficiency and privacy.
Lauren describes the relationship with their matchmaker as supportive. “She took all of our requirements into account when finding matches for us, and also checked in a few times with each of us throughout our courtship,” says Lauren. “I also think the matches and matchmakers are more serious minded in terms of finding a long-term match,” she adds.
Lauren advises other members on the site to be open-minded since “sometimes just reading a profile is not enough, and you need to speak on the phone or meet in person to really get an idea of their personality and if they are a good match for you. “ She also encourages other Jewish singles to try JRetroMatch/SYAS because “just try and give it a shot because you never know who you will meet and all you need to meet is that one good bashert!”