Brown's Beat Article

Wednesday, October 14,1998
Brown’s Beat
Dave Brown

Tuesday I had my first meeting with a professional matchmaker, and my opening question was made obvious by the lack of’ a wedding band.

So tell me, Linda Pauls, how can you be a full-time maker of hundreds of matches, without first taking care of yourself?

If the intent was to knock Ms. Pauls a little off balance, it didn’t work. She held up her bare ring finger and wiggled it. “I’m just coming out of a 15-year marriage, much of which was very good. When I’m ready I’ll start looking. Meanwhile, I’m too busy finding matches for other people.”

The meeting was a happy accident. She called me on another matter, and when I asked how she made her living, she replied without hesitation: “Matchmaker.” If I was surprised a person could make a living as a matchmaker, she was just as surprised I didn’t know that. She has been in the business of helping strangers find happiness for six years.
The native Manitoban started in her home province, and sold that business when she moved to Ontario. She started Misty River Introductions four years ago, choosing the name from her view of the Mississippi River flowing by her home in Carleton Place.
Says the matchmaker: “It used to be people met in bars, and if they stayed together they denied they met each other in a bar. Now many people prefer to use a professional service like mine, and if they stay together they tell people they met each other

Matchmaker Linda Pauls says Misty River Introductions has led 40 couples to tie the knot this year.

in a bar. For some reason people don’t like to admit they used an introduction service.”

She has a current client list of about 3,000, covering most of Ontario. “We had 40 weddings last year.”

Clients range in age from 19 to 82 and her favourite work is in the older age range.

It seems like clients of an introduction service would tend to fib a bit. “Not a problem. People may fib about age and height, but that’s all. They never lie about weight. If that’s going to be a problem, they want it known up front. Nobody wants to meet somebody who isn’t going to like the them”.