It’s Time to Bring Back the “Meet Cute”
Photo by Tina Selig
The 2002 hit movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” gave audiences a relatable first encounter when the protagonist, Toula Portokalos, found herself speechless when waiting on the handsome Ian Miller at her family’s restaurant. More recently, the 2017 movie “The Big Sick” presented a couple who first met after one heckled the other at a comedy show.
Both of these couples experienced hardships but eventually ended up together. These movies tend to circulate in conversations when people discuss a desire to experience their own meet cute, as it offers a fun story to tell and differs from other couples.
As socializing shifts due to various reasons such as the COVID-19, inflated prices and increasing screentime, finding “the one” in a social setting might be difficult for some. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that only 4% of the Americans surveyed spend time on weekends and holidays attending or hosting social events. This is a significant drop from 6.3% of Americans in 2004.
For those who are looking for someone organically by sticking to social settings, such as the bar or community events, meeting someone face-to-face can feel rewarding and offer the opportunity to feel out chemistry.
In-person dating events are offered in the Syracuse area for people who are looking to put themselves out there and meet a potential partner. The company Pre-Dating Speed Dating offers adults the chance to meet new people in person. People can avoid the cost of setting up multiple dates from old profiles or scammers, as host of the Syracuse speed dating events Tina Selig described.
Selig said she has found success in these speed dating events and is even contacted by people who are still with their partners they met.
“It was a woman and a guy, they’re like ‘we met at an event in September six months ago,’” Selig said. “They said ‘we’ve been together since and we’re moving in together next month.’”
Marta Kowal, who has a doctorate in psychology, led a team of scientists who conducted a survey of 6,646 people in relationships from 50 different countries. They analyzed how people met their partners and how it linked to their overall relationship satisfaction and the love they reported feeling.
The study found that people who met their partners online had lower levels of relationship satisfaction and experienced love less intensely as compared to couples who met offline. The researchers said the findings may be explained by the fact that couples who meet offline share more similar characteristics.
North Syracuse resident Jonathan Burgess said that his friend kept trying to get him to attend a speed dating event, with Burgess finally obliging. He said that he has found some matches and been able to explore new restaurants.
Though the speed dating events have been rewarding, Burgess said that it’s important to have a thick skin as rejection can be emotionally challenging.
“Rejection is very difficult,” he said. “I think young people have trouble with rejection, too. So they do things like ‘swipe right.’”
The Knot, a wedding planning website, published an article in 2025 that surveyed nearly 8,000 newly engaged couples. The survey found that 27% of couples met online, which is a decrease from the 2023 and 2022 surveys.
In person first encounters were more common, with 16% meeting through friends, 15% met at school, 10% met at work and 9% met through chance encounters. The Knot reported stories of couples meeting on trains, bumping elbows at the library and even picking up produce from the grocery store.
Finding potential partners might take additional time and patience as well as stepping out of your comfort zone. A meet cute gives the opportunity to embrace your own quirks and pay attention to what is happening right in front of you.