At Intermezzo Montreal we meet thousands of singles who say ''I need to know how to meet someone the natural way''. But what exactly is a ''natural way''? Is it bumping into someone while choosing apples at the grocery store? Is it meeting your tennis partner's sister - the one with the great personality?

In fact, since dating websites first made their appearance, our way of meeting has drastically changed. Is it ''natural'' to be a part of a catalog of singles that is on the web? Is it natural to let a web-based algorithm match you up with other singles? Probably not, but in the province of Quebec alone over 1,5 million people have profiles and spend countless hours sifting through those of others.

Is it natural to work with a certified matchmaker? A first reflex could be to think that this is totally against nature but when you so start to ponder about it you will realize that we deal with professionals in all aspects of our busy lives (personal trainers, accountants, bankers...) yet when it comes to dealing with one of the most important aspects of our life we often chose to leave it in the hands of destiny or worse yet, we let a computer make a choice for us. Natural? I doubt it.

Matchmaking professionals are there to work with men and women of caliber who want to meet similar people. It is confidential, professional but most of all... it works, naturally!

Sarah Papadomanolakis