‘I Spent More Than $50,000 On A Matchmaking Service—This Is What It Was Like’
Before he passed away, my husband told me that he wanted me to try Selective Search, an elite matchmaking service used by a lot of wealthy men and women, to find someone else after he died. Before we met, he’d dated women via Selective Search and really liked it. But after he passed away, I needed time to get my head together before meeting new men. After about two years, I decided that I’d like to start dating again. I realized, hey I’m young, I could still meet someone. (The Slim, Sexy, Strong Workout DVD is the fast, flexible workout you’ve been waiting for!)
Dating The Old-Fashioned Way
To test the waters, I started dating again by going on a lot of blind dates set up by friends. I also tried online dating, but I wasn’t comfortable with it because the profiles felt misleading. The quality wasn’t there. One guy I went out with said, “I don’t like when other guys look at you.” That was red flag for me. Another time, I went out with this guy who seemed great, but when we went back to my place, he said, “I couldn’t provide you with this kind of life.”
Those dates mostly made me feel insecure about myself.
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Dating Like The Rich And Famous
After striking out with the guys I met online or through friends, I realized I had to be more proactive. No fairy godmother was going to come knock on my door with a dress and a prince.
So I contacted Selective Search, and they set me up with my agent, Jessica. She came over to my place to interview me and get a feel for what I look like in real life, my demeanor, and how I am in my own home. It felt very private and personal.
During the interview, we talked about what qualities are important to me in someone I’m dating. My checklist included: a man who is taller than six feet (because I’m really tall), between 45 and 60 years old, can make me laugh, doesn’t have small kids or a bad relationship with his ex, and won’t work crazy hours.
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From there, she did all the screening to find guys that I would be interested in. When she found someone, she’d send me his profile and we’d hop on the phone to talk more about the guy. Then, if I was interested, Jessica shared my profile with him and gave him my phone number to call me.
Paying Like The Rich And Famous
Full disclosure: Though all of Selective Search’s clients are in the top 10 percent of the federal tax bracket, I fall within the top 5 percent, earning $415,000 a year or more a year. Though I no longer work, most of my money comes from the wealth my husband and I accumulated during our marriage and the investments I’ve made, which I now live off of.
The base fee for Selective Search is $25,000, which includes 10 introductions in one region of the country. Though the company offers an affiliate program, where women and men can be part of the Selective Search database without paying, I wanted to be a client. I wanted the team to work for me. Plus, I figured, if this service has a lot of male clients willing to pay thousands of dollars to find a partner for them, they would be able to find me a guy who was as successful as me.
Though the base fee is $25,000, I decided to expand my search to other regions and meet more than 10 men. My total bill came out to be more than $50,000 dollars.
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Finding Another Partner In Crime
Right away, I could tell I was definitely getting my money’s worth. Besides the personal attention my agent provided, I met lots of guys who weren’t turned off by my lifestyle and had lots in common with me. Actually, on my first phone date via Selective Search, we chatted for nearly eight hours!
In June 2016, roughly a year after I signed up, Jessica matched me with a Dan. When we spoke on the phone for the first time, we talked and laughed for hours. Since he lived in another state, we spoke on the phone every day for weeks before actually meeting each other. We even sent photos back and forth.
I was shocked by how attentive he was; he remembered everything about me. When we finally met in person, he flew to my city to take me on our first date. At that point, it was clear that we already had feelings for each other. The date felt effortless. We were eating food off of each other’s plates at the restaurant, and I felt so comfortable with him that I asked him to stay over that night.
The next day, we took my jet to Aspen and our first date ended up lasting five days. We went hiking, I’d make breakfast, we’d do yoga together, and he met my friends.
A couple of weeks later, I met him and his family in Italy, and we spent three weeks on his boat in the Mediterranean. Our second date ended up lasting three weeks. Besides the beautiful vacation, I loved seeing that everyone in his family liked each other. It made me want to be a part of it. Though we’re still dating long-distance, we’re falling more and more in love as time goes on. He’s like the guy version of me.
To me, paying more than $50,000 to meet my current boyfriend was completely worth it. I knew what I wanted, and Jessica found him for me.