Andrea Wright was searching for love, and with the help of an online dating site, she found it.
“As a single mother of two young children I found life lonely at times, and finding time to go out to meet someone was next to impossible,” she says. “I enjoyed being able to log onto the site and having someone able and ready to talk to me. I met a number of guys off the site, but none of them seemed to be the perfect fit.”
That all changed when she met Jamie Peart.
“We first met each other when I was working at First Choice Haircutters (in Welland) last December. I thought he was really cute and he flirted with me the whole time, dropping subtle hints that he was single,” she says.
Their relationship likely would have stopped at flirting if Wright hadn't discovered Peart's profile on the dating website PlentyofFish.com, about a week later.
“I sent him a cute little message like ‘Hey, didn't I just cut your hair last week?'”
Peart was “surprised and excited at the same time” when he received Wright's message.
He was using online dating sites because he found it “hard to meet people.”
And that's the reason most people turn to dating sites, says professional match maker Crystal Kapetyn.
Kapteyn has successfully matched more than 5,000 people since opening Lasting Impressions Consulting Co. in 2002. She even held the world's largest speed -dating event in 2006 at the Hamilton Convention Centre in conjunction with PlentyofFish.com. She describes speed dating as “a buffet line of singles” looking for a connection.
“With speed dating we have 30 men and 30 women in a room and every three minutes a bell rings and the men move from lady to lady,” she explains. “Afterwards I match people up based on their card responses. I will exchange the contact information provided by the person only.”
Kapteyn says the way couples meet has evolved rapidly since the days of having a friend set you up on a blind date.
“Twenty years ago you either met through your family and direct friends, at a bar or some sort of club. Those were the three main ways you would meet,” she says. “Nowadays you can still meet through all those ways, but between 2004 and 2007 most of the dating websites were created, and people started meeting online or they tried speed dating. And it just works for them.”
Wright says online dating is convenient and allows people to get to know each other before meeting.
“It gives you the chance to get to know someone before going out with them without the stress of a first date,” she says.
And after spending a few weeks talking on the phone, Wright and Peart decided to meet for their official date on Jan. 16, 2011.
“I thought she was really beautiful and easy to be around,” says Peart. “And I just felt like there was a spark.”
Wright agrees the connection was instant.
“Right away I thought he was the most understanding and sweet guy I'd ever met. After that we started seeing each other more often and soon became exclusive.”
The Fonthill couple has since moved in together and are looking forward to celebrating a special addition to their family this July.
“We are now expecting a child together,” says Wright.
“I'm just extremely excited,” says Peart. “I can't wait.”
There are many dating websites out there, ranging from general matchmaking sites such as www.PlentyofFish.com to niche websites connecting couples with very specific lifestyles such as www.greenfriends.com for vegetarians.

Here are a few tips for online daters:

1.  Know what you are looking for. Are you interested in casual
 dating or wanting a long-term relationship? If you know what
you want, it will be easier to find others looking for the same
thing.

2.  Be safe. Never give out too much personal information and
make sure your first meeting is in a public place.

3.  Be honest. Don't lie about your age, profession, appearance
or even marital status. If your goal is to make a love connection,
sooner or later the truth will come out.

4.  Don't play games. If you're not interested in someone be
upfront about it and avoid leading them on. Make sure you clearly
state what your intentions are and where you want the relationship
to go.