Melbourne · By application only

Introductions, tailored.

The last first date you'll organise yourself.

We don't swipe.
We fit.

A private matchmaking house for Melbourne. One chat, one sitting, one calibration — then a single introduction, chosen by a person, shortlisted by a model built for exactly this.

Now taking chats for the next intake

Why we exist

You're not looking for another date. You're looking for the one that ends the search.

You're not tired of dating — you're tired of dating that goes nowhere. The endless swiping. Weeks of texting only to find out someone was never serious. Small talk that fizzles. You've built a career; you don't have the hours to sift the noise for the one person worth meeting. What you want is a partner, not a pipeline — someone to share the ordinary Tuesday with, someone who finally sees you, and stays. So let someone do the finding for you.

Less of this

  • Endless swiping that goes nowhere
  • Weeks of texting people you'll never meet
  • Small talk and dead-end almosts
  • Situationships that quietly expire
  • Nights you don't have, wasted

More of this

  • One person genuinely worth your time
  • The ordinary Tuesday, shared
  • Being known — from your coffee order to your silences
  • Someone who feels like exhaling
  • Finally — a person who feels like home

The process

One chat, one sitting, one calibration.

No endless swiping, no writing your own bio at midnight. Three quiet steps — then a single introduction, chosen for you.

01

First Fitting

The Chat

A paid, in-person sitting with your matchmaker. We go through your history, your non-negotiables, and the pattern in who you've actually chosen before — not just who you say you want.

60 minutes · $350 · one introduction included
02

The Sitting

Photography

A relaxed, natural set of photos — taken on the day by your matchmaker, not a studio production. They're never made public; they live only inside your file, for the matchmaker and the matching model to work from.

45 minutes · South Yarra · Collingwood · Brunswick
03

Calibration

The Type Card

You rate a private deck of forty faces — none of them clients. What you linger on, and what you dismiss instantly, tells us more than any questionnaire about who actually holds your attention.

10 minutes · On your own device

The result

One match, confirmed.

Our model shortlists five. Your matchmaker reads the room, not just the score, and hand-picks one. We make the introduction — the date is yours to plan, or ours to arrange on Signature and The Set.

Why the Type Card

People are unreliable narrators of their own type.

So we watch what you linger on, not what you list — the choice you didn't know you were making.

Free · no fee, no obligation

Not ready to book? Send us a video.

Record two minutes — who you are, what you're looking for — and we'll tell you, honestly, whether we already have people worth introducing you to. If we do, we'll invite you in. If we don't, we'll say so. It's also how we quietly build the right pool for everyone.

Start my video application — free

Two minutes, filmed on your phone is perfect. You'll upload it straight from your phone or computer on the next screen. Kept private — never shown publicly.

The easiest way in

Not ready for a video or a chat? Just join the list.

No profile to write, no fee, nothing to prove. Send a photo and a few lines about who you're hoping to meet — and we'll reach out, quietly, the moment someone worth meeting comes along. You do nothing; we do the finding.

Join the list — free

A photo and about thirty seconds. Kept private, never shown publicly — you'll only ever hear from us if there's a genuine match.

By recommendation

The best people rarely apply. They get put forward.

Two quiet ways in — no profile to write, no queue to join. Especially if the apps were never really your thing.

Been recommended?

Someone put your name forward. No forms, no pressure — send a two-minute video, and if we've got someone for you, we'll invite you in for a chat. That's the whole ask.

Send a video

Know someone we should meet?

Put forward a great single Melburnian — the friend everyone wonders why they're single. We'll reach out discreetly, and it stays between us.

Recommend someone

Why us

A matchmaker's instinct. An algorithm's reach.

The apps give you volume and no judgement. A traditional matchmaker gives you judgement and no reach. We built the thing that has both — and put a real Melburnian in charge of the final call.

Real, vetted people

Every member is met in person and identity-checked. No bots, no ghosts, no five-year-old photos.

Matched on attraction, not just tick-boxes

Your "type" sitting teaches us what actually draws you — then we weight it against the substance.

A concierge when you want one

Plan your own date, or on Signature and The Set we arrange the venue and timing — you just show up looking forward to it.

Discreet by design

Your search never appears in a feed. Nobody you know is scrolling past you.

The house

Matchmaking, the old way — with a better engine.

Melbourne is full of people who are wonderful company and quietly done with being a photo in a stack. The Shortlist is a small house built for them: we do the finding, so you don't have to. A model widens the net; a person makes the call. That's the whole idea — and it's why we keep the list short.

“I'll only ever introduce you to someone I'd happily seat across from you myself. Everything else — the sitting, the calibration, the model — exists to earn that one introduction.”

— Julianna Sugani Founder · The Shortlist, Melbourne

Membership

Start with a chat. Choose your search after.

The chat is where we decide we can genuinely help — and you leave with your photos, your calibration and your first introduction, plus an honest read on your dating life. Choose a fuller search after.

The Chat

Everyone starts here

$350
  • 60-minute chat with your matchmaker
  • Natural photos, taken on the day — yours to keep
  • Your Type Card calibration
  • Your first introduction included — the date's yours to plan
  • Credited in full toward any membership
Book
Most chosen

Signature

Serious, and ready to meet people

$3,500 · 3 introductions
  • Three curated introductions — no time limit
  • Every date planned and booked for you — Melbourne's best tables
  • Post-date feedback & refinement each round
  • The clock never runs — we introduce you only when someone's right
  • The Third-Date Promise — we don't stop until you've had one
Book

The Set

Private, unhurried, until it's right

$5,500
  • Dedicated matchmaker & priority in every search
  • Access to our off-list, invitation-only pool
  • Date styling, planning & discreet handling
  • The Third-Date Promise, and beyond — we keep searching until you're off the market
Book

Prefer to go one at a time? Further introductions are $1,200 each, the dates yours to plan — or step up to Signature and we'll book them for you.

We match on the quality of our introductions, never on outcomes — chemistry is yours to find. There's no monthly clock: if we don't yet have someone right for you, we tell you and keep looking — we never introduce you to filler just to hit a number. The Third-Date Promise applies to Signature and The Set, and holds as long as you meet everyone we introduce and share honest feedback after each date. Prices in AUD; the chat fee is credited in full if you join.

The promise

No clock. No filler. The Third-Date Promise.

We can't promise love — be wary of anyone who does. What we can promise is that we won't stop until you've had a real shot. On Signature and The Set, we keep introducing you, at no extra cost, until you've reached a third date with someone worth it. You just meet everyone we suggest and tell us the truth afterwards — the persistence is on us.

Book a chat

Tell us who you are.

We read every request ourselves and reply within two business days to confirm your chat. Prefer to test the water first? Send a video — free.

Request my chat

We read every request ourselves and reply within two business days to confirm your chat. By requesting a chat you agree to a confidential sitting and identity check. We never share your details or list you publicly.

Questions

The things everyone asks.

Why do I pay for the chat?+

Because it's real work and it keeps the pool serious. Your $350 covers an hour with a matchmaker who actually reads you, a natural set of photos to keep, your Type Card calibration — and your first introduction. It's credited in full if you go on to join. Want to test the water first? The two-minute video application is free.

Is it AI or a human matchmaker?+

Both, in that order. AI does what people can't — read the whole vetted pool and narrow it to a genuine shortlist. A matchmaker does what AI can't — make the final, human call about who's worth your evening.

Do you guarantee I'll fall in love?+

We can't promise love — be wary of anyone who does. What we promise is that we won't stop until you've had a real shot: on Signature and The Set, we keep introducing you until you've reached a third date with someone worth it, at no extra cost. Chemistry is the one part we can't book for you — the persistence is on us.

What if you don't have my match yet?+

Then we'll say so — plainly — and keep looking. You're never charged for time, only for introductions, so there's no meter running while we search. We'd rather you wait for the right person than meet three wrong ones. As Melbourne's pool grows, so do your odds — and members are first in line for every new arrival who fits.

What happens after my first introduction?+

Entirely up to you. Your chat includes your first introduction — the date's yours to plan — and there's no obligation beyond it. If you'd like to keep going, you can take further introductions one at a time at $1,200 each, arranging those dates yourself. Or join Signature, where three come as a package (better value), we plan and book every date for you, and the no-clock promise and post-date refinement kick in. Most people who want more than one introduction find Signature the easier choice.

Do I have to come in?+

Start from anywhere — the free two-minute video application is how most people say hello, and if we've got matches for you, that's when we invite you in. The paid chat and sitting happen in person at our studios — South Yarra, Collingwood, Brunswick, and other spots around Melbourne; it's where the photos and calibration happen.

How do you keep it safe and private?+

Every member is met in person and identity-verified. Your search never appears in any feed or app. We handle your information under Australian privacy law and only ever introduce you to people we've met.

What if I'm not the type that "needs" a matchmaker?+

Most of our members aren't. They're time-poor, a little private, and would simply rather someone excellent did the finding. That's the whole point.