Paris sometimes gets a bad rap as a capital city. Whether that be for its general aroma being not dissimilar to a pub urinal, the recent invasion of bed bugs or its rather wet Olympic opening ceremony.
All of these points hit a little harder as the French capital is supposed to be the city of love – a concept that seems to have died out since we’ve reached the digital age. So on invitation to the world’s shallow beating heart of romance for a love themed trip, I was sceptical whether I’d still find a pulse.
However, I am happy to report that love is still very much alive amongst the cobbled and alfresco dining lined streets of Paris. Breeders of romance, Meetic, made it their mission to prove it – and it didn’t take much convincing.
The dating app brand – home to Match.com and dedicated over 50s site Our Time – shipped a bunch of lovebirds and me off to Paris to celebrate their ‘success couples’,or those lucky enough to find love in the modern age.
As a veteran to the online dating game, Match.com is therefore penned as the ‘expert dating app for real relationships’. Though, it does seem hard to come by anything of substance nowadays.
So, after settling into a boutique hotel, Joe M, in the 9th arrondissement – perhaps the most buzzy district – it was time for all to head to dinner at Ducasse sur Seine. If I wasn’t convinced that love in the modern age is truly alive and well, I at least knew my stomach would be in good stead.
Aboard the floating restaurant that is the brains of 21 Michelin star decorated chef Alain Ducasse, a menu forged with boat chef Jean-Philippe Berens was due to be feasted on. Think caviar topped salmon, the ‘world’s most luxurious’ salted Bordier butter and a chocolate praline ‘delight’ – a concoction to get anyone in the mood. What is dining in France without the accompaniment of wine, and the champagne, of course, and not to forget the bread – the copious amounts of sourdough sent presumably from cupid.
My gut – and liver – firmly infatuated with Paris as we intimately cruise up and down the Seine, lit with the golden hue of the Eiffel Tower. It was just like I was in a perfectly scripted romance flick, but I’m not here to find my love or mon amour, should I say.
However, the next day it is time to head off to meet those who managed to find their ‘one’ on Our Time – a space to help the over 50s meet like-minded singles – and Match.com that has been a frontrunner in the European online dating market and has been since its birth in the late 90s.
But, have the apps, designed to empower singles to make connections, managed to put proof in the pudding – or praline?
Sitting on the rooftop at cupid HQ with the Parisian skyline as our audience, me and my dictaphone are ready to hear how love can be forged in the modern age.
‘A flat pint and a bop on the head’
Rachel, 35, and Craig Blackburn, 40, from Coventry met on Match.com back in 2019, shortly before the world descended into the pandemic – not the ideal time to find love.
But they did. Lawyer Rachel and mechanical fitter Craig accelerated their relationship after hitting things off on the app. They moved in just before the first lockdown where their relationship was tested under intense circumstances.
Good job they used the compatibility tool on Match to the best of its ability. Rachel explained: “We’ve both been married before, you had kids and I didn’t. And because we were both a little bit older we knew what we didn’t want and we wanted people that were serious about dating and that could offer long term.
“Match.com fit that as you could filter out what you didn’t like, get more compatibility, it was an easy process and felt safe – I didn’t feel scared about meeting anyone from there as you’re vetted a bit more. The thing I do like about online dating is that you can get to know someone a bit before you meet them so you can see if there’s a vibe there.”
After Rachel’s safety concerns had been put to bed, she went ahead with her profile on Match.com in pursuit of finding a connection. And she found that with dad Craig. The couple have ticked off some of the checklists of the traditional relationship roster but are now looking to work backwards. Rachel and Craig are eager to see more of the world.
However, that could have been very different and it would have been all down to 15 minutes.
“Craig was 45 minutes late to our first date,” Rachel chuckled. “If it got to the hour it probably wouldn’t have happened. He also turned up in his work uniform and strolled in 45 minutes late. I’d already bought him a pint and it was flat.
“I’d nearly got through a glass of wine so he turned up – he’s quite tall so banged his head on the light.So our first date was memorable – but we had a great laugh!”
While 15 minutes could have been the end of this love story, we have to go back 33 years for this one to start.
‘Most memorable kiss’
Warren, 52, from Wolverhampton, and Kerri, 51, from Dudley, live just a couple of miles away from each other in the West Midlands. After both being divorcees and wanting to give love another shot, they decided to pluck up the courage and each make an account.
Just a couple of weeks after joining, the pair matched and couldn’t believe they hadn’t bumped into each other before. And they were right to question that…
“We actually met 33 years ago and then met again via the app,” the couple shared. “We hadn’t realised that until after the first couple of dates that we met those three decades earlier and had a cheeky kiss back in the 90s…
Kerri continued: “It was the first date I went on, and the first date he went on. Do you know when you have one of those feelings of deja vu that you know each other…”
Warren added: “We were sitting opposite each other in the restaurant and I was thinking ‘I know this woman from before’, and I think that was from both ways, I thought that’s impossible.”
But when it comes to love, anything is possible. All of those years later, it took Our Time for the couple to reconnect after that very first cheeky kiss in a bar back in the 90s. And now the couple are engaged after a year of getting to know each other.
“You then kissed me and then I said, ‘you’ve kissed me before’,” Kerri continued. “It was obviously a kiss never to be forgotten 33 years on…
Warren explained: “First kiss was just at a wine bar, but the first kiss to remember was just leaving mine and that’s when it happened.
“And we only live four miles apart and never bumped into each other. If we had mobile phones back in the day then we’d probably stayed in contact – that’s the irony of it.
“That’s the thing with Our Time, you’ve got the opportunity to meet anyone in the world and then you meet someone round the corner who you’ve already met 33 years on.”
Kerri then decided to propose to Warren with a spanner on February 29 of this year, the choice of ‘ring’ is an inside joke between the pair…
‘The city of love’
Tracey, 54, from Merseyside, thought she found the man she could grow old with. She had a family, a house and marriage. But 31 years later at the age of 50, Tracey would sadly be made a widow.
But, this wasn’t the end of Tracey’s love story nor was it the end for Warren, 54, a cancer survivor. After years by herself, she thought it was time to attempt to find companionship again. And for Warren, he was awarded a new lease of life that he didn’t want to waste.
By chance, a TV advert popped up for Our Time – the platform wanting to help over 50s feel empowered to find love through the help of expert advice and community support.
Tracey bravely said: “I became a widow nearly three years ago and I was married for 31 years, becoming a widow at 51. And it got to the stage coming up to two years where I was lonely and didn’t want to be on my own.
“Then I saw Our Time advertise on the TV and thought it was the perfect thing for dating as I hadn’t dated since I was a teenager.”
Out of her comfort zone, Tracey gave it a shot and within weeks met Warren. The couple are now madly in love after first meeting in August of last year.
Tracey continued: “After what we’ve been through, I’m a widow and Warren is a cancer survivor so we are both lucky and both aware how precious life is. We’ve been abroad to Turkey together and that was beautiful, but last night was beautiful on the Seine – it is the city of love.”
Chatting to the couples so candidly about their love pulled on my heartstrings, is this Paris’ doing or am I just a massive softy? It seems to be a spoonful of the two. Some might say online dating has erased real connectivity, but it seems to have empowered it and those needing that helping hand to find it.
To believe in love you’ve got to see it with your own eyes, and a trip to Paris might just help you rediscover that magic.
It’s easy to tarnish online dating as the kryptonite of love. However, as far as Meetic has shown, it’s given those a chance to find connection and partnership when love just seemed like something from a fairytale – it’s safe to say it’s re-humanising digital love for all singletons.
Love is waiting 33 years for another shot. Love is losing it after 30 years, and opening your heart to find it again.
While no one was whisked away on horseback into the sunset (not that I saw anyway), true love is proposing with a spanner and gushing about it to the backdrop of Sacre Coeur.
One of the takeaways from the trip is that love isn’t dead, it just needs resurrecting. You just need the confidence and to be in the right place to recognise it. So Paris, it’s safe to say you can keep your throne to the city of love.
The author travelled with Meetic, Europe’s leading name in dating services, including brands like Match and Ourtime, which help singles seeking serious relationships, regardless of age or style. To find out more, visituk.match.com andourtime.co.uk .
