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EDITORIAL

The Marriage Bureau – The First Dating Agency London Wide

December 9th, 2016

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Nowadays, seeing professional singles seek out a dating agency London-wide is not at all uncommon. With the professional lives of western men and women becoming busier and more time-consuming than ever before, it is sometimes hard to find the time to meet new people or look for love in social situations, and this type of agency is a valuable resource to help demanding professionals find a potential partner.

It would be erroneous to think, however, that professional introduction agencies are a recent creation. In fact, in Britain alone, these types of services have existed for centuries, with the first dating agency activities (known as Matrimonial Bureau’s then) beginning in the early part of the 18th century. However the first modern dating agency, known as London’s Marriage Bureau,situated in Bond Street, Mayfair, London, dates back to the 1930’s.

Heather Jenner and Mary Oliver were two young, ambitious young women, unwilling to conform to the social norms of their time. When they met at a fashionable party in Chelsea, London, the idea of introducing single young men to single young women, given to Mary by her uncle, began to take shape. Thus, the first dating agency London-wide was created.

The initial purpose of the Marriage Bureau was to find the increasing number of single young men and women in London society romantic partners acceptable to not only society and their parents, but also to them. Heather and Mary actively strove to match up people of the same social standing and of one mind about finances, to ensure maximum compatibility.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Bureau proved a success among men and women of not only the well-to-do strata, but the working class as well. Soon, Mary and Heather were making provisions to ensure less well-off clients could pay for their services, and creating many happy engagements among the London poor, as well as it’s rich!

It was with that dating agency London-based and created to serve local singles, that the matchmaking business got its start in Britain. Today, agencies like Ultimate Attraction proudly continue to carry the torch lit by Mary and Heather, and match hundreds of singles across London!