The 5 Best Dating Sites for Marriage
Est. Reading Time: 2 Minutes
“Above all, Internet dating has helped people of all ages realize that there’s no need to settle for a mediocre relationship.”
~Anonymous
There is a long-standing myth that dating sites will not help you find love and marriage. Guess what? Approximately 33% of marriages begin with online dating. It’s true!
However, you need to “put in the work.” In other words, getting your “happily ever after” will take effort – maybe even lots of it. Remember, finding love, keeping that love alive, and eventually getting married are all choices. And, because more than 21% of young adults report a desire to one day get married and start a family, it’s important to keep your dating options open.
It means that you may have to get a little creative to find a spouse. And, when I say “creative” I mean, you may have to go outside of your comfort zone. For some, this may involve going out and socializing (although that is kind of hard to do right now with COVID lurking in the shadows), but for others, this may involve venturing into the online dating world and checking out some dating sites for marriage.
With COVID concerns, social distance requirements, and lockdowns, online dating has begun to take a whole new significance when it comes to “dating” in this new age. So, even if you prefer the more “traditional” route of meeting someone special, while out on the town with your friends, or at a coffee shop, gym, or even a bar, that just isn’t as feasible as it used to be – at least not until we get this worldwide pandemic under control.
The good news is, online dating can fill that gap for you while you wait for the world to open back up again.
But, even before COVID entered the scene, online dating became the “norm.” Why? Because it’s convenient and affordable. Plus, with online dating, you can meet all kinds of new people – if you choose to do so. It truly is the perfect dating vehicle for people who are super busy, shy, or antisocial.
So, if you’re looking to meet someone you could potentially spend the rest of your life with, you may want to consider at least *trying* online dating sites (i.e. Match.com, OkCupid, eHarmony, Hinge, or BlackPeopleMeet). It couldn’t hurt, right? And you may just end up meeting your “person.” Just be careful and don’t share too much personal information off the bat and you’ll be just fine. You may even get that happily ever after you’ve always dreamed of.
Est. reading time: 9 minutes
Most people say that marriage just feels right. When you get married you gain a built-in BFF, an unwavering supporter, an always available “date,” a person to celebrate your accomplishments, a shoulder to lean on when things don’t go your way, a problem-solver who only wants the best for you, a ride-or-die soldier, a loving caretaker when you’re ill, and a personal stress reliever when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Thus, a good spouse is more than just a life partner; he or she is a blessing.
A lot of people, especially young adults, want to get married one day. In the past, you could meet the love of your life at a gym, bar, concert, festival, bookstore, grocery store, church, or even at work. But not anymore. There’s a global pandemic raging, after all. Now, it’s masks, social distancing, and lockdowns. So, how on Earth can you find the person you are meant to be with under these circumstances? Well…there’s always online dating.
So, why not give dating sites for marriage like Match.com, OkCupid, eHarmony, Hinge, or BlackPeopleMeet a chance? Live on the edge a little – but be cautious while there. The best thing about dating sites for marriage is there are tons of single “daters” who are looking for a special someone who can eventually become their spouse! All you need to do is sign up for one, two, or even three dating sites and start looking. Nothing hard about that.
And, honestly, meeting online and eventually getting married isn’t all that cringe-worthy.
According to a recent survey, approximately 40% of married couples state that they originally met on an online dating site. Moreover, a 2019 survey found that young women, specifically young adult brides, cite dating sites for marriage as the most popular way to find a hubby. So, it works.
Absolutely not, but when have you ever known something that worked for everyone? Probably never. So if a large number end up married then that’s a pretty good deal, if you ask me.
Even if you never envisioned meeting “Mr. or Ms. Right” online, this is a new day and age. So don’t knock it until you’ve at least tried it. Many single young adults have found love and happiness online. Just because your relationship starts on a dating site, that doesn’t mean you have to keep it online. If the feelings remain once you actually meet each other, there’s a good chance your online suitor is a “keeper.”
So if you decide to jump into the pool of online dating, be prepared to have different experiences with each one. How can you get the most favorable online dating experience? Research the various dating sites and pick the one you think best fits your preferences, personality, wants, needs, and relationship goals.
Once you’ve selected one or two, take the plunge and set up one or two dazzling profiles that capture all of your amazing qualities. Once you get through the setup process, the dating world will open up to you and you’ll be in a prime spot to meet the person who will eventually become your spouse. But first, you’ll have to take that first step.
After doing research on dating sites, I chose Match.com as the overall best dating site for marriage. There’s no disputing that Match.com has more dates, relationships, and even marriages under its belt than any other.
Its well-defined match algorithm pinpoints the possibility of first dates, long-term relationships, and thriving marriages. Even more impressive is that Match.com is universally the longest-running dating service to date.
One of the benefits of using Match.com to find a spouse is that the “Discover” section allows you to search for potential matches using interest, religion, age, ethnicity and culture, career interests, geographical location, educational background, economic status, sexual orientation, height, body shape, hair, and eye color, etc. It’s also offered in 15 languages and in 50 countries.
The majority of young singles on Match.com are not there to play around and waste time going on pointless dates. The more serious daters are most likely paid members who are seriously looking for either a long-term partner or spouse.
Match.com is free to browse and even set up a profile—however, only paid members are allowed to fully interact with their “matches.”
If you aren’t sure you want to pay the cost, you can still scroll through profiles, send likes, and communicate with other daters (on a limited basis) – until you decide to financially invest in finding your spouse. Match.com has approximately 15 million users each month, so if you decide to pay for membership, you’ll have a lot of young singles to pursue.
Note: After reviewing other dating sites, I chose Match.com as having the greatest probability of leading to marriage. In fact, research suggests that Match.com produces the most long-term relationships than any other dating site.
Another dating site known for helping young adults find a spouse is OkCupid. OkCupid touts its foolproof formula for finding a lifelong partner, with a ton of research on romantic compatibility. So they kind of know what works when it comes to matching people up for the long haul.
And guess what? Its members can send as many messages as they want – for free! OkCupid’s key to success? Focusing on the dater’s passions and interests in a variety of fields from music and movies to religion and politics. It also lets you know if the dater you’re interested in is looking for friendship, a hook-up, a causal relationship, a serious relationship, or even marriage!
This dating service focuses on matching people who have similar interests – instead of only focusing on physical appearances and financial statuses. It literally has a lengthy questionnaire for you to answer to ensure you are being matched to the right person.
Like Match.com, OkCupid has a website and app, so you always have access to potential love matches. It also doesn’t cost an “arm or leg” so that’s a plus! Want to know another awesome thing about OkCupid? Well, members are constantly dating – to the tune of 50,000 dates a week! And if that’s not enough – approximately 91 million love connections are made on OkCupid each year! Wow!
Note: I chose OkCupid for the #2 spot because regardless of what you’re looking for or even who you are looking for, you can find it on this dating platform. It was made with love in mind, after all! The only thing that kept it from being in the number #1 spot was that it’s sometimes used as a “hookup” service, which defeats the purpose of being the go-to dating site for love and marriage.
eHarmony is another dating site that can help you find that special someone. An extensive detailed personality assessment uses compatibility measures to help you find love and hopefully, marriage. It focuses on your personality, wants, needs, and preferences to garner a compatibility score used to help find your “match.”
A group of relationship psychologists developed eHarmony’s psychology-based matchmaking system to help daters find partners or spouses. The goal was to create a system that would help individuals find the happiness they’re seeking. So there is a lot of psychology in play when these “matches” are formed.
eHarmony’s mission is to help singles develop relationships online that can stand the test of time in the “real world.” Currently, over 2 million online daters found love on eHarmony, and every 14 minutes a new couple is formed on the website or app.
Note: I chose eHarmony as #3 because its young dating pool isn’t as extensive as the two dating sites above. However, it has a reputation for being marriage-oriented and somewhat “traditional” which can appeal to daters of all ages. eHarmony is also pretty pricey – at least more expensive than the other sites I reviewed.
Hinge feels a lot like a friend connected you with another friend, rather than a dating service. It takes on an old-fashioned feel with a millennial twist and It’s very private.
Hinge allows you to see the dater’s real name, job, location, and other personal tidbits, so you can get to know the real person and not just the “ideal person.” The one thing that Hinge does not want is for you to go into this process blind. But, thankfully, most Hinge members are seeking partners or spouses. They are, for the most part, ready for a serious relationship.
An interesting plus is that Hinge is free. It doesn’t make you pay for its service; however, because it’s free, you have to be super clever on your profile pitch to catch the eye of other daters. However, you are required to comment on photos and/or profile responses. If you don’t, you will get “dinged” for not replying.
Note: I chose Hinge as my number #4 pick because it’s cute and hip. It just feels like it’s designed for young adults, although daters of all ages are welcome. I’m not sure if it’s as serious as the top 3 dating sites listed above, but I like the youthful, easy-going spin it puts on matchmaking.
BlackPeopleMeet is my number #5 pick for a dating site for finding a spouse. It’s important to begin this section with a disclaimer that says you do not have to be Black or Biracial to join this dating service. If you’re interested in entering an interracial relationship, you are welcome regardless of your race and ethnicity.
While most dating sites don’t offer people of color a ton of dating opportunities, BlackPeopleMeet does. It’s a place where Black people can meet tons of other Black people and non-Black people can get to know and possibly fall in love with Black or Biracial people – no judgment. It truly is an interracial haven for many non-Black daters.
It doesn’t cost much to join! You can become a member, browse, flirt, and send and/or reply to messages for $13.99 a month or $56.94 for 6 months!
BlackPeopleMeet takes dating seriously, which is a good thing if you’re trying to find a spouse. And, although not as popular or well-known as the “big hitters” like Match.com, OkCupid, etc., it still has a good number of monthly users—5.7 million to be exact.
Note: I chose BlackPeopleMeet as my #5 pick because, while it’s a good dating site for Black or Biracial people to meet, fall in love with, and/or marry other Black or Biracial people and non-Black people to do the same, the name of the dating site may be off-putting for some daters. As a result, these daters may miss out on finding a spouse because they don’t feel that they will be welcomed. That isn’t true, but I can see how it may come across that way to some daters.
Ph.D. in Family Psychology
Ree has a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy (M.M.F.T.) and a Ph.D. in Family Psychology. She spent over ten years counseling families, couples, individuals, and children on adjustment issues such as blended families, same-sex couples, dysfunctional family relationships, relationship issues, etc. Now she writes for famous health organizations and is a published author.
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