I Went to a Speed Dating Event — Here’s What Happened

I’m going to be honest: I am so tired of the dating apps. It feels like I’m swiping on the same people over and over… and over and over again. I’m willing to try just about anything to meet the love of my life organically — even if that means putting myself in a potentially awkward situation.

I recently went to my first speed dating event with zero expectations — and here’s what happened.

Five Guys, 10 Minutes Each.

One of the biggest complaints I have about my speed dating experience is that the event didn’t have very many people. There were only five men and five women in attendance. I was told that the planners of the event capped it because their previous event had an uneven number of women to men. While I totally understand making sure that things are even, I have to say that it would have been nice to have a bigger dating pool to choose from.

No Awkward Conversation.

Blame it on TV or romantic comedies, but I was expecting speed dating to be a bit awkward. But the planners of the speed dating event gave us notecards with icebreaker questions to ask one another. Things like “What is your fondest childhood memory?” to “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” really can get the conversation flowing.

I Was the Youngest Person in Attendance.

While the speed dating event was marketed to people in their 30s and 40s, I was the only person in attendance in my 30s. Four out of the five guys who I talked to were in their late 40s. It would have been nice to have a smaller age gap because I’m at a point in my life where I would like to have children. Four out of five of the guys at the event already had kids who were in college.

Did It Lead to Love or Was It a Disaster?

The bad news? I didn’t find the love of my life at the speed dating event, but I did have four really great conversations. There was only one guy who I didn’t vibe with at all, and even with him, I had some decent conversation. It was actually a really fun experience to talk to people from different walks of life.

But the one thing that speed dating really opened my eyes about is that there are men out there who are just as tired of the dating apps as women are. It gave me hope that my person is out there somewhere, waiting to be found organically.

I can tell you that I would, without a doubt, sign up for another speed dating event. Who knows? Maybe I’ll meet my person at the next speed dating event.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.