Matchmaking as a Gift

Holiday shopping stresses out 58% of shoppers, according to Deloitte's 2025 Holiday Retail Survey, and the hardest person to shop for is usually the one who says they don't need anything. That's pushing more people toward experience gifts instead. 57% of shoppers planned to buy one last year, up two points from the year before, and 21% said they'd buy someone else a subscription or service as a gift, up six points from 2024, according to Circana's Holiday Purchase Intentions report. Matchmaking falls into that second category, and it raises a question gift cards never do. Is this something you're allowed to give someone else, or does it read as a comment on their love life?

Why It Doesn't Have to Feel Like an Insult

The instinct to worry about this makes sense. Handing someone a matchmaking consultation can feel like you're telling them they can't find someone on their own, and nobody wants to be the reason a holiday gift stings. But the same logic applies to a personal trainer, a financial planner, or a career coach, and none of those gifts get read as an insult. They get read as someone paying attention to what a person wants and taking it seriously enough to invest in it. Dating is the one area where people are expected to figure it out alone, with no professional help and no budget, and stepping in to help a friend or loved one is a great gift.

A Gift Built Around Their List, Not Yours

A good matchmaking gift starts with what the recipient has said they want, not what the gift-giver thinks they should want. If your sister has been vocal about wanting someone who shares her faith, or your friend has said outright that he's done with people who don't want kids, that's a search a matchmaker can help build. Gifting matchmaking works when it hands someone a resource for the search they're already trying to have, not when it's used to push them toward a version of dating they've said isn't for them.

Who This Works For

This works best for a friend or family member who's truly open to meeting someone but hasn't had the bandwidth to make it a priority, for someone who's said more than once that they'd try matchmaking if someone else got the ball rolling, or for an adult child who wants to give a parent something more meaningful than another candle after a divorce or a loss.

It’s not for someone who's said they're not interested in dating right now, or when it's given as a hint that they need to change something about how they're living. The gift works best as an added option, not as a message about what someone should change.

How Gifting Works

The logistics are simple. The consultation gets booked in the recipient's name, and the call happens between them and us, not between us and whoever gave the gift. Nobody needs to sit through an uncomfortable joint call to redeem it. The person being introduced to the process gets full say over whether they move forward once they've talked it through, so giving the gift doesn't commit anyone to anything beyond that first call.

When to Give It

Milestone birthdays, a recent move to a new city, the first holiday season after a divorce or a loss, or just the start of a new year all work as natural moments, since a fresh chapter is usually when people are most open to trying something new. It's worth letting the recipient know when giving it that there's no pressure attached and no expectation that they use it by a certain date.

If you're considering this for someone, or for yourself, reach out and we can talk through whether it's the right fit before anyone commits to anything. Book the consultation.

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FAQs

Do I need to tell them ahead of time, or can it be a surprise?

The recipient will always know a consultation is happening either way, since they're the one scheduling it and showing up, but you can tell them yourself as part of the gift, or let us reach out to schedule it.

What if they're not interested once they find out?

Then nothing happens beyond that first call, since there's no obligation attached to the gift.

Can I gift just the consultation, or the full matchmaking service?

Both work, though most people start by gifting the consultation and let the recipient decide from there.

What does it cost?

$500 for the initial consultation, credited back if they move forward with matchmaking or coaching.

Is this a good gift for someone who's never used a matchmaker before?

It's often the best kind of introduction, since there's no pressure and no algorithm, just a call about what they're looking for.

What if I want to give this to a parent instead of a friend?

That happens often, and we build the process around their comfort level rather than the gift-giver's intentions.