Valentine's Day is steadily approaching and being single on the lovers' holiday can be tough, but Rocky Mountain Singles is here to help. This locally owned dating service has been helping the loveless become lovesick since 1999 and they are getting ready for this year's flood of Valentine's Day clients. Cheri Collins, founder and director of Rocky Mountain Singles, recently sat down with HuffPost to chat about, romance, making Valentine's Day special and finding Mile High love.
How does the process work at Rocky Mountain Singles?
We are Denver's largest singles social club. We provide singles with a fun, comfortable, and safe environment for meeting other singles while enjoying all of the great things Denver has to offer. We do a little bit of everything – sporting events, theater, camping, bowling, wine tastings, travel, speed dating, and more. We are not a dating service, per se, but it happens all the time!
What kind of singles use your service?
The majority of our singles are professionals between the ages of 25-55.
What is the dating scene like in Denver?
Denver is known for being one of the best cities for singles in the U.S. We have a very active, social lifestyle in general, and there is something for everyone here. We have found that under the age of 40, we have more men than women participating; over 40, it's clearly more women than men.
Do you tend to have a spike in clients during romantic holidays like Valentines Day?
Absolutely! Our busiest six weeks of the year are between New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day. It's a combination of a couple of things: 1) New Year's resolutions about getting out and meeting people, finding a relationship, etc.; 2) people just coming out of spending the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays alone; and 3) no one wants to spend Valentine's Day alone.
How do you match people together?
We don't do any one-on-one matchmaking. We let them do it themselves, although I'm always happy to be the intermediary (and I'm asked to do that a lot!).
Given that you are a relationship expert, can you give any advice for those on the look out for love?
I think one of the best things about meeting people through a social group is the opportunity to watch them in a group setting. Are they friendly? Courteous? An enthusiastic participant? Those are all good signs. Also, it's much harder to misrepresent yourself than through internet dating options because you are right there in front of them!
How about success stories?
We have over 40 weddings that I know of, and about 20 babies. A good friend of mine met his wife at one of my events when she came as the "wingman" for one of her friends. We also have a woman who came to write an article for a newspaper about her experience speed dating and met her husband that night! They were married 10 months later (that was 7 years ago) and now have two small children.
Any funny "nightmare" dating stories?
I have a hundred good stories to share, everything from people getting up from the middle of dates during speed dating to a couple of my clients streaking through the house naked during a weekend getaway because of a dare. You name it, I've probably seen it!
Being deeply involved in the relationship business and probably seeing many different forms of love work and not work, do you still believe in true love?
I do – and there's nothing more gratifying than knowing that I contributed to it in some small way.
What would be a great romantic date for a couple on Valentines Day?
Taking the time to do something that your partner likes to do that you may not, or would not normally do with them. For example, for a guy, it might be taking his girl to see that special chick flick. For a girl, it might be watching his favorite sports team on TV with beer and a pizza. It's all about spending quality time together!
What's next for Rocky Mountain Singles?
Actually, our biggest event of the year is coming up on Saturday, Feb. 4 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. It's called the 7th Annual Rocky Mountain Singles Summit. We have Reggie Rivers as our speaker and MC, a bachelor/bachelorette auction for charity, free drinks from Patron Spirits, seminars, vendors, giveaways, and hundreds of Denver's most eligible singles. There's also an after-party at Suite 200 in the VIP Lounge with no waiting in line, no cover, and no minimums with your wristband from the Singles Summit.
Check out the Rocky Mountain Singles Summit website for more information.