As the song from "Fiddler on the Roof" implores, "Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match."
That old-fashioned way of finding a spouse or life-partner is becoming a hot trend, so much so that it spawned a reality show on A&E called "Confessions of a Matchmaker."
According to Forbes.com, the matchmaking industry took in $236 million in 2005.
Experts say it's largely because many people who've used online dating services have grown tired of meeting people who falsely advertise who they are.
The host of "Confessions of a Matchmaker," Patti Novak (www.pattinovak.com), says it takes tough love to find true love.
She shared suggestions on finding the right modern matchmaker:
First, try a local matchmaker with a smaller company. "That's not to say that a bigger company can't be good," she says. "I think a local company has a knowledge of people in your area."Find out how much the person who interviews you will be involved in helping you. "If that person says 'No,' run the other way," Novak says. Find out the size of the company's pool of prospects. If you're a 38-year-old woman, find out how many men the company has between 27- and 38-years-old. Someone who is awkward and shy and can't successfully have a second or third date should try to locate a dating coach. "They look at the whole being," Novak says. "They will tell them how to dress and do their hair." Novak considers herself "happens to be one and the same. Dating coaching is a new arena and, I think, stronger in the Los Angeles area. I don't know why." Novak also had a bunch of dating tips. To see them, click here.