Hi !

A recent article in the new York Times discussed "upscale" dating
services around the country, ranging from $5,000 to $250,000 per year.

While I am not a Blue Blood myself, I have a technocrat friend who is
tired of Internet dating.

A 5-star answer would list 25-30 of these expensive services around
the country.
Slight preference for California, but any U.S. state would be OK.
(This is not an in-depth research project.  A simple list of
links...er...um...web links would be just fine.)

All comments greatly appreciated.  Thanks !
ron

Hi, Ron! This looked like a fun project, and I had thought it would be
an easy one. Unfortunately, the Web is so full of sleazoid dating
sites that it has proven very challenging to collect links to 25 sites
that seem respectable and classy. If only your friend wanted to meet a
cute temptress from Czechoslovakia or a college student who's looking
for "generous men," this would have been so much easier. ;-)

Below you'll find a selection of the most promising services I've been
able to locate online.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
             DATING & MATCHMAKING SERVICES IN CALIFORNIA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Elite Matchmaker" operates coast-to-coast, with echelons of service
ranging in price from $350 to $7,500 (and higher, by arrangement):

Elite Matchmaker
http://www.elitematchmaker.com/plan.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The Right One" has offices in Encino, Irvine, Los Angeles,and San
Diego:

The Right One
http://www.therightone.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Great Expectations" has offices in Encino, Irvine, Los Angeles,
Sacramento, San Diego, San Rafael, Santa Clara, Upland, and Walnut
Creek:

Great Expectations
http://www.great-expectations.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Introductions by Sage" has offices in Los Angeles, San Fernando
Valley, Orange County, the South Bay Area, and San Gabriel Valley:

Introductions by Sage
http://www.sagedating.com/main.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Elite Connections" operates in Beverly Hills, Redondo Beach and
Westlake:

Elite Connections
http://www.eliteconnections.com/


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Together Dating" has offices in Encino, Irvine, Los Angeles,and San
Diego:

Together Dating
http://www.togetherdating.com/


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Lisa Bentsen's SingleSearch" has offices in Santa Barbara, Ventura,
Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange County, Palm Springs, and San Diego:

SingleSearch
http://www.singlesearch.com/ 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Single and Professional" targets Sausalito, Tiburon, Mill Valley,
Corte Madera, San Rafael, and Novato:

Single and Professional
http://www.singleandprofessional.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Meet a Mate" is a personal introduction service operated by a
mother/daughter team, serving Los Angeles and Orange County:

http://www.meetamate.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"It's Just Lunch" serves Los Angeles, Orange County, Sacramento, San
Diego, San Francisco, and Walnut Creek:

It's Just Lunch
http://www.itsjustlunch.com/home.asp

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Gianna" is a professional matchmaker based in Los Angeles:

LA Matchmaker
http://www.lamatchmaker.com/info.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Professional matchmaker Marsha Winer offers two introduction services
in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area:

The Jewish Connection
http://www.thejewishconnection.com/

Intros by Marsha
http://www.introsbymarsha.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                 NOT IN CALIFORNIA, BUT WORTH A LOOK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ann Wood the Matchmaker
http://annwoodthematchmaker.com/

LifeWorks Dating
http://www.lifeworksdating.com/www/frayda.htm

Matchmakers for Singles
http://www.matchmakersforsingles.com/plans.html

Meaningful Connections
http://meaningfulconnections.com/default.htm

Premiere Connections
http://www.premiereconnections.net/

Melissa Darnay, Oldest Matchmaker in the USA
http://www.funed.com/darnaym.htm

Shamrock Matchmaking
http://www.shamrockmatch.com/index.html

Bonnie the Matchmaker
http://www.bonniethematchmaker.com/index.htm

Jewish Matchmaking
http://www.jewishmatchmaking.com/company.html

Better Beginnings
http://www.betterbeginnings.com/page2.htm

Janis Spindel, Matchmaker
http://www.janisspindelmatchmaker.com/index.html

Leora Hoffman Associates
http://www.leorahoffman.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Search terms used:

"dating service(s)"
"matchmaking service(s)"
"introduction service(s)"
"professional matchmaker"
"upscale"
"exclusive"
"elite"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope this list will give your friend a wide field of options to
consider. If anything requires clarification, please ask, and I'll be
glad to refocus my search as needed.

Best wishes,
pinkfreud

Hey, my friend never mentioned the "generous men" angle!   
heh  heh  heh
Thanks, pinkfreud, as always.  Terrific answer.  ron

Ron,

Thank you very much for the five-star rating!

I just realized that nowhere in your question did you specify your
friend's gender. I guess "technocrat" just sounded to me like a guy.
It's odd how deeply ingrained some of these assumptions can be!

~Pink

He is indeed a manly technocrat.  
A manly and wealthy technocrat.
Probably why he's still single...  
heh  heh  heh
Thanks again.   ron

You might also take a look at this previous question:
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=118961

Thanks, voila !  Very kind of you to post your comment.  I appreciate it !  ron

My pleasure Mr. Tripleron.  I am the Chuck Woolery of the Google Answers set.

heh  heh   heh   :-)

Please! Don't go near: "Together Dating" has offices in Encino,
Irvine, Los Angeles,and San Diego:Together Dating
http://www.togetherdating.com/ ....

A real con. You fill out a questionnaire; they contact you; you make
an appointment when they go over your likes and dislikes...after they
have verified your credit card. Your counselor says he/she will
call....NOT.

Instead the matchmaker calls (mine a sadistic _ _ _ _ _ named Arlene)
who says it's in my best interest to agree to meet with a married, but
going to be divorced match. NOT.

The once-a-month mail with a new match (name, phone) never comes.
Meanwhile your credit card was charged immediately.

I'm trying for my money back, but meanwhile I intend to post this
wherever I can find chat site.

Thanks, benhad, for your comment.

Sorry to hear about your experience.
Good luck to you !

ron

One of these services mentioned above - Together Dating - is horrible.
 When you go meet them, they ask you why you haven't been successful,
try to mak you believe they are your only hope, then try to charge you
$3800 - $7700. The whole thing was ridiculous.  I walked out.

They are like used car salesman - very high pressure sales tactic. 
Ruthless.  I feel bad for everyone who paid.

Speaking as a guy who wants to meet younger (<30) women, do you REALLY
think a typical twentysomthing woman can afford to pay $4000 for a
dating service?  I'll bet that a GREAT MAJORITY of women are 35+.

Thanks, sew17sew.  I really appreciate your comment.  ron

Ron did your friend every find a decent service?  I'm single and
looking for a good service in Southern California!  ;)

Hi Classylady,

I cannot comment on Southern California as I live in the Bay Area.

My business partner (36-year-old male) had good results here with
a dating service run by a woman named Kelleher.  He paid $6000.
First few dates were disasters.  He then had a come-to-Jesus
discussion with the owner.  The very next date led to a long-term
relationship
that came very close to marriage.  Overall, he thought the money was
well-spent.

I had a female client (38-years-old) who used a ~$3000 dating service
in the East Bay (either Walnut Creek or Berkeley---not sure).
That was a disaster, and she asked for her money back. 
She went on 6 dates.  Only 1 had potential, and that guy wasn't
interested in her.

That's all the firsthand advice I can give.
Good luck in finding your sweetheart !

ron

Dating Services and Singles Parties

I've always found singles parties fun and enjoyable and a good
alternative to  dating services and the "bar scene." You can often
meet 100's of singles in one evening and check them out face-to-face.
Even if you don't meet someone special, the party is still a lot of
fun. You can mingle, network, flirt and enjoy the music, dancing,
party snacks and beverages (of various kinds).

To find an organization in your area, search for "Singles Parties,
<name of your city> or region.  For example, to find such a club in
the Bay Area, you might use Google and search for:

     Singles Parties, San Francisco Bay Area

In Sacramento, your search might be:

    Singles Parites, Sacramento

The club I like these days in Northern California the Professionals
Guild, which also offers business networking along with its singles
parties. The cover charge is moderate and often includes some really
good party snacks: lunc
h meat, cheese, bread, vegetables, fruits.  You can often skip dinner!

Another idea for meeting people, is to become more active in some
activity you enjoy -- an activity which also attracts people you are
trying to meet. I enjoy Argentine tango. So I enjoy attending
"milongas" (which are special tango dance parties.) Try using Google
and searching for the activity you enjoy, followed by your city.  For
example, I like to search for "Argentine Tango, Roseville"

Thanks, argentinetango !

Terrific advice.  I really appreciate it !

ron

What does anyone know about Valenti International??