Dating and Matchmaking Agencies in London
London Matchmaking
Over recent years the matchmaking industry in London has blossomed, seeing new agencies popping up targeting different groups of singles searching for love. With private and discreet operations, it can be challenging to work out which is the best matchmaking agency for you or what you can expect when hiring a matchmaker. What follows is a review of dating and matchmaking agencies in London to help you gain some more insight.
Matchmaker in London
It was a decade ago, in 2011, when Lemarc Thomas started his matchmaking career in London. Back then there were not many matchmaking agencies around, and the atmosphere was very competitive. Confidentiality and discretion were (and still are) a top priority. Trust in the industry was mixed, with amazing love stories to worrying reviews. Much has changed in that time…
Online dating has become the most common way that couples meet and with that there is less shame in using dating services. There is also a higher demand for alternatives to online dating – for those who can’t, won’t, or are simply too fatigued to, swipe, how do you meet your love?
With his experience in the industry, Lemarc Thomas combines the art of matchmaking with the science of love to provide a more conscious approach to meeting your match.
Start your journey
Matchmaking Service – from € 25 000
12 month programme
Your personal matchmaking and relationship consultation team
We gain deep understanding of who you are and what you really need
Carry out a seriously elaborate partner search
Hand select matches based on your requirements, needs and want
Carefully curated introductions
Us in your corner, giving the support/ tough love, holding a space to fulfil your intensions (based on our philosophy of how to meet love)
Matching London Singles
Matchmakers in London are busy scouting the city to find single people open to love. Like all matchmakers, they meet with their clients, before searching for and introducing potential matches. Any experienced matchmaker will already have a healthy database of single people whom they can suggest as potential matches. However, matchmakers also headhunt to find the right match. That means people you meet through a matchmaker may not have paid for a service, we might have hunted them down on your behalf or found them in our singles bank (We’d be weary of any matchmaker who tells you otherwise).
In London, matchmakers need to be super networkers to find your match. The million-pound question – how? We find people by going to networking events, getting referrals, collaborating, holding events, being active on the press or on social media, etc… At Lemarc Thomas we get a lot of word-of-mouth referrals from people who have experienced our matchmaking. But we have also travelled to our client’s city to scout matches, gone to tennis games, yoga classes, seminars, business events… you name it, wherever our clients’ people are, we need to be.
Who uses an elite, exclusive matchmaking agency in London?
People in London come too matchmaking services for several reasons: It’s difficult to find love in our modern world; Swipe fatigue is a thing; They are asset rich and time poor and want to outsource the ‘swiping’ to someone else; They feel alone and confused about dating; They need a discreet service, perhaps they have a public profile or high security job.
At Lemarc Thomas we find a of people who want a more conscious, human approach to finding love. And they don’t want to leave dating to chance.
Pros and cons of personal matchmaking
Most (good) matchmakers offer a high level of personalised service. Client’s appreciate having support in this area of life where one can feel lost and lonely. It’s great to have a matchmaker in your corner! You just have to choose the right one.
The challenge in matchmaking is that a matchmaker’s network is naturally smaller than the online dating pool. Solving this problem is the growing trend for matchmakers to stop elbowing each other out of the way and start being collaborators – the more people we collaborate with the bigger our potential networks for our clients.
A good matchmaker may spot relationships blocks or notice blind spots that have been preventing you from finding the right match. But there are no guarantees that matchmaking will succeed and it’s a financial and emotional investment.
At Lemarc Thomas our goal is to ensure that you are always getting closer to your goal, and we are proud that even the minority who did not find a relationship still recommend us.
Ethical, honest transparent matchmaking
The matchmaking industry is unregulated and there are no entry requirements to become a matchmaker. There are organisations such as the Association of British Introduction Agencies (ABIA) and the Dating Agency Association (DAA), which us matchmakers pay a membership fee to be a part off. However, to be honest, this does not really say so much. There are a growing number of agencies that have started after completing matchmaker training at the Global Love Institute in New York. However, some of us matchmakers have been around for a long time, 10, 20, 30 years… and did not go to matchmaking school. Some claim to have a gift, some are networkers or connectors, some are coaches or psychologists, some are just businesspeople… We think to be a good matchmaker you need to have all the above. If you want to find a credible matchmaker do your due diligence.
How much does it cost to hire a matchmaker in London?
There are a lot of agencies offering to match you in London – from the high-end Mayfair agencies claiming to match the most elite clientele to those a bit more modest, working with the busy London professionals who ain’t got time to tinder.
Matchmaking is a personal service, everything is done the slow, human way – hopefully by an eager matchmaker keen to find you a match. It takes a lot of person hours which makes matchmaking is expensive.
Fees for hiring a matchmaking service in London varies quite much depending on the level of service, length of contract, number of guaranteed introductions and niche. You can expect costs from around £3 000 – £5 000 at the lower end of the market and at the high-end starting at 10 000 – 15 000, but prices can go up to £50 000+ for elite matchmaking services.
Matchmakers usually work with clients for one year. Some offer 6-month contracts. Payment is usually made in full and up front.
Matchmaker in London usually guarantee around 8 introductions within 12 months. An introduction usually means that both you and your match have agreed to meet and have met in person or via video chat (but you have to check your contracts to be sure).
The best matchmaking agency in London
How do you know which is the best matchmaking agency, or at least the best matchmaking agency for you? Agencies can often be judged by how much they charge, but that’s perhaps not such a safe measure. Better ways to assess an agency are: how long it has been around; what the press say about them; the people who work there… Many agencies advertise a success rate, but it is not always clear what they measure or if this is trustworthy. As people become more open about using matchmaking agencies, it’s more reliable to hear their experiences in reviews or references. As with any business awards and affiliations can also give an indication of quality. But be sceptical to look beyond marketing.
At Lemarc Thomas Matchmaking most of our clients come by word of mouth and our client’s feel safe knowing someone who has already been through our process.
How to choose the right matchmaker:
Have a good connection with your matchmaker, you want them to really ‘get’ you. This is the most personal area of your life, and you want to have a great relationship with the person or people you are entrusting.
A relationship with your matchmaker is not enough, they also need to have the network with access to the type of people that you want to meet.
Be realistic. About what a matchmaker can do and about what you want.
Don’t buy a dream. If you saw profiles that you liked at the beginning, there is not guarantee that you will meet these people.
This is a human process. Maintain ownership of your relationship goals and motivate your matchmaker to support you.
Can our matchmakers help you?
If you are based in London, consider yourself a citizen of the world with an international lifestyle, perhaps having multiple locations and open to meeting your match anywhere in Europe, then we can help. Feel free to get in touch to book a complimentary consultation.
If you are looking for a local London search, there are lots of agencies in London who can cater for your needs. Whist we hesitate to provide recommendations here, if you get in touch, and tell us what you are looking for we will happily offer a few suggestions.
If you are gay and looking for a gay matchmaker in London, we can provide a local gay matchmaking service in London or an international gay matchmaking service in Europe or globally. If you are gay and interested in our matchmaking you can read more about that here.