PlentyOfFish.com founder Markus Frind (with fiancée Annie Kanciar). As with many matchmaking websites, Plenty of Fish sees an increase in traffic in the fall.

Credit: supplied

GET BACK (ONLINE EXCLUSIVE): Falling back into the dating world

As the seemingly endless August sunshine gives way to crisp mornings and rainy nights, the beginning of autumn can feel like a new year of sorts. It’s as much a time to make a fresh start of the return to work and school as it is to rediscover the nest-like comforts of wool cardigans, flannel sheets, and, most importantly, the loving warmth of another human body that several Tetra-Paks of butternut squash soup simply can’t replicate.

And the best part is, other people feel it too — hence, the spike in new clientele that Vancouver’s dating and matchmaking services receive during the autumn months. Maybe it’s something about the poetic romanticism of the season’s weather, or a collective fear of the crippling loneliness that often compounds the darkness of winter, but singles in Vancouver seem to put more effort into finding a mate when the leaves start to turn.

“Once it starts getting a little bit colder, people stay indoors a lot more — and, of course, are on their computers — and would like to find someone to snuggle up and watch a movie with,” says Kate Bilenki, spokesperson for local dating website PlentyOfFish.com. The site, founded by Vancouver’s Markus Frind in 2003, is now the largest dating website not just in the city, but in the country. “We notice an increase in the fall, and a very large jump come Christmas time. I think that’s when most people are looking for a mate.”

While Plenty of Fish generates a high volume of traffic because it offers free membership, local paid dating services such as Executive Search Dating (ESD) also see an increase in business in the fall. “Labour Day weekend comes, and all of a sudden you realize that fall’s here, and, more importantly, winter’s just around the corner,” says ESD president Paddi Rice, who started the company five years ago. “I think there’s a natural feeling where people start thinking, ‘Enough of this fun in the sun; it’s time to hunker down.’ The winter is about to get here, and it would be nice to spend quality time with one person.”

In addition to acting as a dating service for professionals, ESD also functions as a dating headhunter. “It basically means that every potential match for you in the city is someone we could set you up with,” says Rice.

Sheree Morgan takes it upon herself to get to know potential matches for her clients personally, priding herself as Vancouver’s only “true” matchmaker who works with clients one-on-one. As the founder of Match-Works.com, Morgan says the economic downturn and the end of summer has resulted in a surge in new clients, some of whom she was in the midst of meeting when WE caught up with her last week. Morgan’s personalized matchmaking service, she says, is geared toward people looking for a committed, monogamous relationship. “It’s a lot easier to go through [the economic downturn] with somebody,” she says. “It’s a lot easier to stay home and nest with someone. How nice to sit around a fireplace — but it’s not very nice to sit around a fireplace by yourself.”

So, for the lonely hearts in the city sheepishly turning to Vancouver’s dating industry for help this fall, you’re in good company. And if people like Morgan, Rice, and the folks at Plenty of Fish have anything to do with it, you and your new mate with be nauseating your friends with pet-name-filled exchanges (“No, you’re schmoopy!”) before too long.