About the Author: Steve Ward
Steve Ward is the Owner and CEO of Master Matchmakers and a second-generation matchmaker who built the firm alongside his mother and co-founder JoAnn Ward. He hosted and executive-produced VH1's Tough Love for six seasons, co-authored Crash Course in Love (Simon & Schuster), and has been featured as a dating expert by CNN, the Today Show, Oprah, Glamour, People, and Cosmopolitan. He has spent more than 25 years personally coaching and matching relationship-minded singles nationwide.
Quick answer: A professional matchmaker is a trained expert who personally sources, vets, and introduces compatible singles, replacing swiping with curated, verified introductions. Master Matchmakers pairs every match with background checks, verified profiles, and integrated coaching. Fees start at $3,500, with the total shaped by your search and criteria.
When people ask me what a professional matchmaker actually is, I tell them the same thing every time: it is a trained person who takes over the search for you, screens for compatibility with real judgment, and stands behind every introduction with real accountability. I founded Master Matchmakers in 2001, and since then more than 65,000 singles have come through our private network. This is not a profile you manage yourself. It is a service, built and run by people, for people who are serious about finding a partner.
This page walks through what our professional matchmaking service actually includes: how the process works from your first conversation to the feedback after a date, what separates a real matchmaker from an algorithm, and who this kind of service is built for.
What Is a Professional Matchmaker?
A professional matchmaker is not a directory you scroll and not a subscription you manage yourself. It is a trained individual, backed by a team, whose job is to understand who you are, verify who a potential match is, and use human judgment to decide whether the two of you are worth introducing. That judgment, informed by a real conversation and a real vetting process, is the core of what you are paying for. An algorithm can sort people by shared interests. It cannot tell you whether someone is honest about their age, their identity, or their intentions.
| Category |
Professional Matchmaker |
Typical Dating App |
| Who evaluates each match |
A trained matchmaker, using judgment and a real conversation |
An algorithm, using stated preferences and behavior |
| Verification before you meet |
Background check, plus identity, age, and photo verification |
Typically none, self-reported only |
| How you are introduced |
A curated introduction, verified profile and photo exchanged first, never a blind date |
A profile you swipe on, no verification and no advance introduction |
| After the date |
Coaching and feedback built into the process |
Nothing, you are on your own |
| Privacy |
Private and discreet, off any public platform |
A public-facing profile |
How Master Matchmakers' Process Works
Every engagement follows the same three-step process, regardless of who you are or where you are searching. Here is what actually happens after you sign on.
Step 1
Personalized Consultation, Profile & Verification
We start with a real conversation, not a form. You tell us who you are, what you have tried, and what you are actually looking for. From there, we build your profile and put you through the same verification every member goes through: identity, age, and photo verification, plus a background check.
Step 2
Curated Introductions, Verified Profiles Exchanged First
Your matchmaker sources candidates from our private network and brings you a curated introduction, never a blind date. Before you ever meet, you and your match exchange verified profiles, photos, and phone numbers, so you both know exactly who is showing up.
Step 3
Coaching & Post-Date Feedback
After each date, your matchmaker follows up with you and your match separately for honest feedback. That feedback, combined with integrated coaching, sharpens every introduction that follows. Your contract keeps working through all of it too: it does not expire, so the process continues until it is right.
That is the short version. Our How It Works page walks through the full process in more detail.
What Makes Our Service Different
Plenty of services call themselves matchmakers. Here is what Master Matchmakers actually does differently, consistent across every client.
- No blind dates or blind introductions. You know who you are meeting before you meet them, never a name and a reservation.
- Background checks plus identity, age, and photo verification. Every member goes through the same vetting before any introduction is made.
- Verified profiles, photos, and phone numbers exchanged first. You and your match get acquainted before the actual date.
- Integrated coaching and post-date feedback. Built into the process itself, not sold as an add-on.
- Contracts that do not expire. Your engagement runs until it is done, not until a clock runs out.
- Nationwide reach, since 2001. More than 65,000 singles have come through our network in that time.
Who Professional Matchmaking Is For
Professional matchmaking is not for everyone, and it should not try to be. It works best for a high-achieving, relationship-minded single who has the resources to invest in a private, high-touch search and whose schedule makes doing it alone impractical. If you have already tried dating on your own, know roughly what you are looking for, and are ready to hand the sourcing to a professional, this is built for you.
What we do not do is promise a specific outcome. No reputable matchmaker legally can, and any one that does should give you pause. What we stand behind is the reliability of the information we give you about every match, so the person across the table is exactly who we said they are. Fees for that level of service start at $3,500, and the more open you are about who and where you are willing to be matched, the lower the fee. If that sounds like the investment you are ready to make, the next step is to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a professional matchmaker?
A professional matchmaker is a trained expert who personally sources, screens, and introduces compatible singles, using real judgment and verification rather than an algorithm. At Master Matchmakers, every member goes through identity, age, and photo verification plus a background check before any introduction happens, so you know who you are meeting before you meet them.
How is a professional matchmaker different from a dating app?
A professional matchmaker replaces swiping with a curated introduction chosen by a real person, not an algorithm. Master Matchmakers verifies every member's identity, age, and photos and runs a background check before any introduction, and no meeting happens blind. You exchange verified profiles and phone numbers with your match before you ever meet.
What happens during the matchmaking process?
At Master Matchmakers, the process runs in three steps: a personalized consultation where we build and verify your profile, curated introductions where you and your match exchange verified profiles before meeting, and integrated coaching with post-date feedback after every date. Your contract does not expire, so the process continues until it works.
Is hiring a professional matchmaker worth it?
For a serious, time-poor professional, yes: a matchmaker replaces months of unverified swiping with a small number of vetted, background-checked introductions you approve before meeting, plus coaching after every date. It is less suited to casual daters who enjoy the search themselves or are not ready to invest in a private, high-touch service.
Who is professional matchmaking for?
Professional matchmaking is built for high-achieving, relationship-minded singles who want a long-term partnership and do not have time to source it themselves. Master Matchmakers works with clients like this nationwide, pairing you with a personal matchmaker who sources, verifies, and coaches through every introduction. Fees start at $3,500, based on what your search actually requires.
See What Professional Matchmaking Would Look Like for You
The clearest way to know whether this is the right investment is to talk it through with someone who can be honest about it. If you are a relationship-minded professional who is ready to hand the search to a real matchmaker instead of doing it alone, that is exactly who we built this service for.