After Hello Matchmaking

10/09/2026

When a recent guest joined us on the After Hello Podcast, he described a home filled with medical equipment. Both of his parents live with him, and he is responsible for his father's care day to day. It might surprise you to learn that this did not turn away the women on the panel. They were still interested in meeting him.

Our co-founder Ann Parnes was not surprised. She has spent years helping people find lasting relationships, and she knows that caring for a parent shows kindness, loyalty, and steadiness. The right partner will recognize those qualities right away.

In this article, Ann covers when to share your living situation with someone new, how to protect time for yourself, and what kind of partner understands this chapter of life.

Read the full article here:

Caring for aging parents at home does not make you undateable. A matchmaker's honest guide to disclosure, timing, and dating with confidence. After Hello co-founder Ann Parnes on dating well while caring for aging parents, and why the right partner reads devotion as loyalty.

10/07/2026

Costumes are optional. A goodbye text isn't.

In the same study, 69% of people said learning someone had ghosted a partner would make them think less of that person.

Is ghosting ever okay? Tell us in the comments.

Source: Freedman, Powell, Le, and Williams, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 2019

10/06/2026

Did I say something wrong? Did they meet someone else? Was I imagining the chemistry?

Questions like these haunt people when someone disappears. Ending things is uncomfortable, and nobody we know enjoys disappointing another person. The problem is that avoiding the conversation hands that discomfort to someone else.

What do we tell our clients? Match your goodbye to the level of investment. After two or three dates, a kind text is perfectly appropriate, no need for the awkward call. After several months together, pick up the phone. The conversation doesn't have to be long, and honesty does not have to be harsh.

Read the full article on the blog:
Ghosting Isn't Kind. Here's a Better Way to End Things.
https://afterhello.com/blog/ghosting-isnt-kind-heres-a-better-way-to-end-things

10/01/2026

The rush you feel when someone keeps you guessing can be easy to mistake for chemistry. Lasting attraction grows when someone shows up when they said they would and answers your text the same day. Consistency may feel a little less exciting at first, but it's what lets you relax enough to fall for someone.

Join our free Private Matchmaking Registry through the link in bio.

09/30/2026

Every generation has dated with different tools, and the people who find love all do the same thing. They treat the person in front of them like a person, with patience, attention, and a little grace. Starting a conversation at a dinner party, a friend's barbecue, or a neighborhood bookstore still works beautifully in 2026.

Where did you meet the best date you've ever had?

09/29/2026

A first date turns into a second date when she walks away remembering how the conversation made her feel. Questions like "What are you looking forward to this fall?" or "Where's the last place you traveled that surprised you?" give her room to talk about something that lights her up. When you follow up on what she shares, you give the conversation somewhere to go.

Drop your favorite first-date question in the comments.

09/28/2026

When dates keep landing in the same place, the most useful place to look is the pattern you bring into the room. That could mean the type of person you keep choosing, the energy you show up with on a first date, or the story you tell about your last relationship. Taking a clear-eyed look at those things is one of the kindest moves you can make for yourself and for the person you'll meet next.

What's one thing you changed about how you date that made a difference?

09/25/2026

Take off the hat, lose the sunglasses, and retire the photo from ten years ago. Your date will meet you in person, so your dating profile photos should show exactly who walks through the door. Not everyone will like the way you look, and that is fine, because the right person will be glad to see you when you arrive.

Be honest, have you ever shown up to a date and done a double take because they looked nothing like their photos?

09/24/2026

If you are seeing more than one person right now, there is nothing wrong with that. Physical intimacy is where things get confusing, because everyone's baseline is different. Some couples sleep together on the first date and stay married for 50 years. Others wait months.

What matters is whether the two of you are on the same page. If sleeping together means exclusivity to you, say it before it happens, and ask what it means to the other person.

💬 Do you bring this up beforehand, or do you let it come up on its own? Tell us in the comments.

09/23/2026

There's more access to people today, but that doesn't always mean more connection. It comes down to quality over quantity: matching with people, having a few genuine conversations, and figuring out if there's something worth continuing.

If dating is starting to feel like a lot of effort for very little connection, our free Private Matchmaking Registry is worth a look. Link in bio.