Will Davies is a somewhat unassuming cupid.
By day he's the CEO of his own business. But on the side, the matchmaking enthusiast has run speed-dating events for people he reckons are "definitely set-uppable".
"I just sort of started doing it for, you know, no massive reason," the 36-year-old said.
His foray into the Sydney dating scene started with his own list of singles and a successful blind date.
A decade ago, he introduced his flatmate to one of his school friends.
"They're just both very intelligent and they've got very strong moral opinions on everything. I thought they could get on their high horses together … it was a bit of a gut feeling," Davies said.
His friends both hit it off and the rest, as they say, is history.
Encouraged by the 100 per cent strike rate, Davies began to "set friends up all over the place", turning his altruistic pursuit into a bit of a hobby.
"I'd much rather spend my time doing that than something else … Huge kick for the people involved as well as me," Davies said.
"To be part of someone meeting their life partner and you know them having kids together and you know, building a life together, that's an amazing thing to be part of."
Sydneysider Wendy Daoud El-Khoury is a wedding director, wife, and mother-of-two. And she also jokingly calls herself the "Queen of Match Makers".
Dave and Kate Trumbull. Source: Insight
"I just love the idea of people being in love and when I found love and I, I became a believer of it … you know, my friends are now in their early thirties and they're starting to think when am I going to have children, and when's it going to happen for me? So I'm kind of keeping an eye out for them."
After a few failed attempts, El-Khoury has also developed a reputation for introducing people. Out of the 30 people that she's tried to set up in the last three years, two have led to long-term relationships.
"I look for certain qualities in people and try and bring them together. But I have gotten it wrong a couple of times. But I have got it right a few times, so I have a couple of friends who are married, a couple of friends who are engaged or seeing each other and I'm working on a few people."
Wendy Daoud El-Khoury Source: Insight
Is matchmaking back?
In a world overflowing with courting options, the paths to finding your other half are endless. Before online dating, there was traditional matchmaking. So what technique works best to find true love?
Despite the popularity of the online dating scene, Davies believes nothing beats sitting down face-to-face with a prospective partner.
"I think there's just nothing better than actually 'let's just catch up for a coffee and see if we like each other' and you can't do that on the internet. You can get a bit of a feel, but I reckon nothing beats sitting down, getting the vibe of the person and then if you like, if you want to catch up more then go from there," he said.
El-Khoury understands that more people are meeting their spouses online, but sees it on par with old-school introductions.
"I reiterate that to my friends and say, you know, don't be afraid of jumping online … we communicate now through many of our jobs online. A lot of social media has driven us to meet people online and I feel like it's just another platform that people can actually do that.
"So I'm all for online dating and I believe it's just one avenue. I also believe in traditional match making and I still like to bring people together but it definitely is something that is an option and I feel like we're a lot more open about it."
This week, Insight looks at how much we can leave love to chance, or whether traditional matchmaking services and online dating sites are much needed tools in the search for the perfect partner | Tuesday 5 July 8:30pm SBS
