.png)
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: Modern Mingle is a San Antonio matchmaking firm with a second office in San Marcos, while Master Matchmakers works nationwide, with fees starting at $3,500. Modern Mingle says it meets each member in person and runs background checks. It suits Greater San Antonio singles who want a team close to home.
Most searches for modern mingle reviews end at a star rating, and you will not get one from me. I run Master Matchmakers, and we take clients in San Antonio too, which makes me the wrong person to score a firm working the same city.
My source is Modern Mingle's own website, which we read page by page in November 2026. We used no rating site, the one client line I quote is the firm's own selection, and where its pages go quiet, I say so.
What Modern Mingle Says It Is
Modern Mingle calls itself "a personalized matchmaking company for relationship-minded singles" and pitches that as "a more intentional, personal alternative to dating apps." Its two offices are in San Antonio and San Marcos. The San Antonio page speaks for "the Greater San Antonio area," and the San Marcos page adds "San Marcos, South Austin, and surrounding communities." That is the footprint its pages describe.
Two of its landing pages carry a signed note from Melanie Shores, listed as "Founder, Modern Mingle." She writes of "more than two decades" in this work and of helping "thousands of singles." A press excerpt from MySanAntonio on its homepage says the firm has been "in business since 2017" and is "locally grown and owned."
One page puts its members between 21 and 84 years old, and the FAQ says most are professionals. Its blog also announces a 2026 Consumer Choice Award in the Dating Services category.
Modern Mingle's Three Steps
Its San Antonio page lays out three steps. The first is a one-on-one meeting about your goals, lifestyle and deal breakers. The second, search and vetting, draws on "a local database and selective outreach methods." The third is the introduction itself: "We arrange introductions, gather feedback after each meeting, and use our findings to refine your matches along the way."
One of its age-group pages adds that matches are "not random blind dates or algorithmic suggestions." A landing-page FAQ says, "Coaching and feedback are an important part of our approach," and a Relationship Coaching page covers "Communication, Confidence & First-Date Prep."
The part of the model to weigh is its social side. Alongside matchmaking, the firm hosts group gatherings, such as trivia nights, wine tastings and dance lessons, and it lists them among the things its service involves. One landing-page FAQ makes clear that members are not required to attend. If you would enjoy meeting people that way, this is a real difference from a firm that works only through individual introductions.
Modern Mingle Reviews: Where It Earns Credit
Screening comes first. The about page says, "We make it a priority to meet and interview every single one of our clients." A landing-page FAQ says, "Every active member completes our screening process before becoming eligible for introductions." Its homepage lists background checks and in-person verification, and another page says it ensures members are "employed, financially stable" and single.
We screen too, so I am not going to claim this as ground between us.
What It Will Not Promise
The firm is also straight about limits. "No ethical matchmaking company can guarantee chemistry, marriage, or a relationship," its FAQ says. We decline that promise on our own site too. The same FAQ says "Matchmaking is not the right fit for everyone" and names people "unwilling to step outside of an extremely narrow" type as a poor fit. Another page says, "Results will vary by person."
A firm that prints those lines is telling you something useful before you sit down.
What Does Modern Mingle Cost?
Modern Mingle's site does not say. We read the 71 pages its sitemap listed in November 2026 and found no dollar figure for membership, no monthly rate and no package list. Its FAQ takes up why matchmaking costs more than dating apps and answers without a number, saying the service "requires significant time, expertise, and ongoing support from our team."
Its FAQ says the consultation covers "membership options," and its landing pages call that first meeting a "Complimentary Consultation." The nearest thing to a unit of sale is a testimonial, the firm's own selection, in which one member writes, "I signed up for five matches." Treat that as one client's wording, not a published plan.
Modern Mingle's Contract Terms
Contract terms are in the same position. We found no membership term length, refund policy or cancellation terms on the site, as of November 2026. That says nothing about what the agreement contains, only that the agreement is where you will read them.
Master Matchmakers' fees start at $3,500, and the more open you are about who and where you will be matched, the lower the fee.
Questions for a Modern Mingle Consultation
These are the ones I would put to any firm:
- What does membership cost, and what exactly does that fee cover?
- Are plans counted in matches, and if so, when does a match count?
- Will I see photos and talk by phone before we meet?
- What happens if I pause, move or want to cancel?
- How far does the search reach, and how do you find people outside your own membership?
The Alternative to Modern Mingle: Master Matchmakers
Since both firms screen, what I would put in front of you is how an introduction gets counted and what happens before it. A Presentation is not a Match. Clients see photos and talk by phone before anyone meets, and a meeting that does not happen does not count against the contract. Every candidate is identity-verified and background-checked before they are introduced.
Reach is where the two firms part. Modern Mingle describes "a curated local database" alongside selective outreach, which fits a firm built around San Antonio. We work nationwide, and if a client relocates mid-search, we refocus on the new area or wherever they want to be matched. That matters if your work moves you around the country, or if you would gladly fly for the right person.
On terms, there is no fixed term and hold time is unlimited, as long as you check in at least once every six months.
| |
Modern Mingle |
Master Matchmakers |
| Based in |
San Antonio, with a second office in San Marcos |
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida |
| Reach |
Greater San Antonio; San Marcos, South Austin and surrounding communities |
Nationwide |
| Led by |
Melanie Shores, listed as founder |
Steve Ward, Owner and CEO |
| Published fee |
No membership figure on its site as of November 2026 |
Fees start at $3,500 |
| Screening |
Interviews, background checks and in-person verification |
Age, identity and photo verification, a criminal and public-record background check, and an interview |
| Introductions |
Arranged by its team, with feedback after each meeting |
Photos and a phone call before anyone meets |
| Published terms |
No membership term on its site as of November 2026 |
No fixed term and unlimited hold, as long as you check in at least once every six months |
Close to Home, or Wider?
If you live in Greater San Antonio or around San Marcos and want a team you can sit down with locally, Modern Mingle's pages describe exactly that. If your search needs to reach past that part of Texas, we are built for it. Either way, ask for the fee and the terms in writing before you sign.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Modern Mingle cost?
Modern Mingle prints no membership price on its site: we found none on the 71 pages its sitemap listed in November 2026. It says the consultation covers membership options. Master Matchmakers' fees start at $3,500, and the more open you are about who and where you will be matched, the lower the fee.
How does Modern Mingle work?
Modern Mingle describes three steps: a one-on-one consultation and profile, a search and vetting stage using a local database and selective outreach, then arranged introductions with feedback after each meeting. It says that feedback refines later matches, and it calls coaching and feedback an important part of its approach.
Does Modern Mingle do background checks?
Yes, by its own account. Modern Mingle says it uses interviews and background checks, meets each member in person, and requires every active member to complete screening before becoming eligible for introductions. Master Matchmakers also identity-verifies and background-checks every candidate before introduction.
Where is Modern Mingle located?
Modern Mingle lists offices at 16414 San Pedro Avenue in San Antonio and 220 Opportunity Blvd. in San Marcos. Its San Marcos page says it serves singles throughout San Marcos, South Austin and surrounding communities, and its San Antonio page names the Greater San Antonio area.
What is a good alternative to Modern Mingle?
Master Matchmakers is the one I would point you to if your search should reach past San Antonio and San Marcos. We work nationwide, clients see photos and talk by phone before anyone meets, and a meeting that does not happen does not count against the contract. Fees start at $3,500.