ST. LOUIS — For those who are single and ready to mingle but are tired of dating apps, St. Louis native and certified matchmaker Darci Roberts may be able to help.
She said her friends were struggling to find relationships online, and the pandemic made meeting people more difficult for them.
“I wanted to create a space that was specifically for young professionals that were looking for long-term relationships because I feel like I know so many people that are looking for that, but they haven’t been successful,” Roberts said.
Last month, she launched Matched With Love, a matchmaking and date coaching firm geared toward young, working millennials who are looking for long-term relationships.
“A lot of people are just very busy. They’re working 9 to 5 jobs, and they just don’t have the time to go out and find their person. So, that’s where we come in,” Roberts said.
The business developed from an evolving friendship of several years between Roberts and Jasmine Mauss, a marriage and family therapist.
“We really hit it off and we really connected in the beginning a lot about love and relationships. It was one of the focal points of our conversations a lot of the time and we have always felt really passionate about it,” Mauss said.
Roberts’ business also was inspired by her curiosity of love stories, as well as by the long-lasting marriages among her grandparents and parents.
Matched With Love offers a personalized matchmaking approach to pair clients with quality matches based on their criteria such as common interests and life goals, according to Roberts. She said she is the first certified matchmaker to start a boutique business in St. Louis.
“Matchmaking is the process used to help singles find their life partners. And the purpose is to develop intentional relationships that lead to long-term relationships or lead to marriages,” she said.
“I think it’s really, really important for people to understand what matchmaking is. It’s a great, great, service, but it is different than dating apps.”
Those interested can become a free member where they are part of a network of singles, have access to dating resources, events, and potentially can be set up with clients.
There are more benefits offered for clients, including date coaching sessions, relationship advice, and Roberts will work to find the perfect match with someone who she has vetted. A client’s information is safe and secure, and no one has access to another client’s profile.
“I think you really have to be ready and confident to go into a space of actually being matched because we’re going to be setting you up and putting you on dates and putting you in front of matches that meet your criteria,” Roberts said.
“We would never put anybody in front of anybody that we think they wouldn’t match well with.”
Date coaching includes virtual one-on-one sessions with Mauss to discuss a client’s dating habits, attachment styles, values, love languages, confidence, and more to set them up for a successful relationship, according to Roberts.
“We want not only to match you with really, really incredible partners but be open to developing yourself, be open to feedback, be open to hearing ways that your relationships might not have succeeded in the past and how you can grow,” she said.
“And that doesn’t mean anything is wrong, that literally just means that we all have growth spaces and everybody has something that they can improve on. So we want to make sure that people are open and willing to work on themselves first before they’re in that committed relationship.”
Clients also receive tools and encouragement to prepare for the modern dating world, including professional photography sessions to update their dating profiles.
“This is essentially where people are coming to learn more about themselves and more about what they want,” Mauss said.Outside of Matched With Love, Mauss works with couples and individuals on relationship challenges, anything from intimacy issues to infidelity and more. With the new business, she said she is looking forward to helping relationships flourish from the start.
“In my work, I’m really kind of patching things up, but it feels really important to me to be on the preventative end of it, and the beginning pieces of it helping people find love and being intentional about choosing a partner that’s right for them and that’s going to really work with their value system and morals,” Mauss said.
When dating, Mauss said it is important for people to be grounded, stay true to their values and what they are looking for in a relationship.
“Oftentimes, people will be looking for very specific things, but not necessarily having the awareness of what is going to matter to them long term, and that’s kind of what I’m hoping to uncover,” she said.
“Some of the coaching is what is really going to be important to you in the long term. People are kind of looking at the surface and they’re making judgements and assessments based off that. But I think digging deeper and just knowing about your values, your love languages, the things that are going to actually click with someone and add to compatibility. “
Matchmaking may be a better option than online dating when it comes to searching for successful long-term relationships because there is intention behind it and not leaving it up to chance, according to Mauss.
“I think with online dating and even meeting with people in person, there’s a tendency to kind of fall into something as opposed to it being intentionally chosen. I think what Darci and I are doing is, we’re really looking at all of the data and all of the information we have on two people and what they want and what they’re looking for, and it’s a really thought out, vetted choice,” Mauss said.
With her business so far, Roberts said she has had a 100 percent success rate with matching up her friends and family.
“Matchmakers in general have a really, really high success rate once they’re in the business for a long time,” she said.
“I always say, the biggest gift that I can give anyone in life is introducing them to their life partner, and introducing them to someone that they can feel a strong love with, so that’s really important.”
As her matchmaking and date coaching firm grows, Roberts is looking forward to seeing “all of the beautiful couples.”
“I want to see marriages. I want to see babies. I want to see all of the things,” she said. “This business has been all about passion and love and I just want to see more love in our community.”
Matched With Love held a pop-up event at Kaldi’s City Garden downtown with a Kanye West inspired theme last weekend for singles and couples.
“A lot of people have started becoming members and really joining. I’m seeing an interest in the St. Louis community, which has been great,” Roberts said.
The matching and date coaching making firm teamed up with private chef and culinary influencer Nico Shumpert for the “808s And Art Plates Dinner Party.”
“808s and Art Plates was a wonderful mix of great food, great company and great music. Chef Nico's thoughtful menu drew me into the moments of my life when I first heard Kanye's music. I love being in spaces that breed creativity and connection,” attendee Raquel said.
“On top of the food, I was happy to hear about the launch of Matched With Love and their ability and passion to match young professionals with quality partners. Darci and her team seem ready and willing to coach and lead their clients to the best relationships they've ever experienced.”