I paid over $3,000 for a matchmaker. I met my husband on my second date.

• Lauren Leon signed up for a matchmaker after growing frustrated with dating apps.
• She used two services and met her husband, Ryan Leon, on her second date through Tawkify.

This as-told-to essay has been adapted from a conversation with Lauren Leon, a 35-year-old business owner who met her husband, Ryan Leon, 34, through a matchmaker. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I had been meeting people on dating apps. I met people who projected themselves to be someone, and I started dating them, but then I realized it wasn't the best for me.

Dating apps take a lot of time and energy. I wanted to have a better experience and meet more quality people who were intentional and had intelligence.

I have an identical sister, and she kept saying, "Why don't you try a matchmaker?" I don't know why. She was just like, "It seems interesting. I feel like you should try it."

In August 2022, I did some research, found a couple of companies, and reached out to them.

I signed up for two matchmaking services

I originally started with Three Day Rule and signed up for an intro package. I did it for three months, and they gave me about three matches for dates a month. I really enjoyed the experience.

I wanted to do it again, but I decided to try Tawkify, which had a little bit more of a reasonable dating package.

You fill out a form online, and then someone calls you. They get an understanding of who you are and what you're looking for. They want to make sure you're serious and committed to it.

Once that happens, you sign up, pick your package, and then they match you with a matchmaker.

The package was $5,400, but they provided a discount for signing up right after the initial intake phone interview, so my total was $3,400.

I was matched with Lillian. She and I had a great conversation originally.

The call lasted almost an hour. She asked questions like, "What are you looking for? What type of person would be ideal? What age group? What's your personality like? What do you do on a daily basis? And how do you imagine your lifestyle?" These questions go really deep, more than what you would put on a dating profile.

After that, you let your matchmaker do her work. You get one match a month because, during that entire month, they're researching people and databases.

Then, they interview that candidate for you and do a screening before they present that person.

My husband Ryan ended up being my second match.

My husband was in the dating pool

Some matchmaking services allow you to pay around $130 to join their matchmaking pool. Believe it or not, that's what my husband did.

He didn't get matched with a matchmaker, but often, the matchmakers with clients would contact him and say, "Hey, do you want to go on a date with this person?" And he would say yes. We were introduced because he was in Tawkify's pool.

She gave me some information about him, and they set up the date in November.

They don't send you a picture of each other before the date, which I think is nice. If I had seen his picture, I probably would have rejected my husband because, in my mind, I was thinking of a particular type. I was making up this image of who I wanted to be with.

The matchmakers say it's best to be open, enjoy the journey, feel the experience, and feel the person out before sticking to your ego and judgment about what you really want. The best person for you may not be what you think.

Ryan walked into the restaurant, and I looked at him and said, "Oh, gosh, wait. Do I know you?" And he said, "Oh, yeah. We went to the University of Michigan together."

We crossed paths briefly for one semester because he was doing a dual degree program, where he was getting two degrees, one in engineering and one in science. It was my last semester, and we talked a couple of times at a student organization meeting.

It turns out we grew up 10 minutes away from each other, and I hadn't seen him. It took matchmaking to sync up.

The date was a hit

We were on our first date for four hours, and he had such a nice personality. It seemed like we had a lot of things in common, and I enjoyed myself.

I felt safe, and I could share myself completely. It seemed he wasn't judging me at all, but he was genuinely interested in me. I think that's why I continued to go out with him just to see how I could feel being around him, and I found myself enjoying his presence.

He called me after, saying that he knew I was doing this matchmaking process and would continue to ask me out until I said no.

After the first date, Lillian did a debrief call. Once I told her I liked him and would explore going on more dates with him, she paused on introducing another person because they didn't want to create confusion. But I was in communication with her.

It was Ryan's birthday on our fourth or fifth date a month into seeing each other. Honestly, it almost felt like my birthday because we planned this full weekend with a hotel room and massages, and he covered it. We went out for drinks and games with friends, and he just treated me with such kindness, care, and attention.

I called my friend that day and told her, "Well, he got me. I fell for him now."

We got married just over a year later

We moved in together in May 2023 and got engaged in October. We only dated for about 11 months before getting engaged.

Once we got engaged, we looked at wedding venues and realized, "Why wait a whole year to get married?" So we got married on March 17, St. Patrick's Day.

Our matchmaker was at our wedding, and she gave a beautiful speech at our rehearsal luncheon about how she matched us. She said she talked to Ryan, interviewed him, and had a very light, fun, warm feeling about him like she did when she spoke to me.

Since I only used two out of the six Tawkify matches, I had a remaining balance of $2,266.67 that I gifted to my friend at my wedding in front of everybody. She'd been wanting to try it.

Matchmaking allows you to relax during the process. Sometimes, when you're stressed and so involved, it creates this tension. But when you can just let someone take care of it and trust that they have better judgment than you do about picking your partner, I think it makes it feel much better.