It's no mystery we live in an era where social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Skype are the main portals we use to stay connected. With hundreds of likeminded websites emerging in the virtual space each month, 2010 promises to be even brighter in social media and online communication. Rekindling lost flames and old friends has never been easier. But as we resort to online simplicity, it seems we've lost the value and interest in old-fashioned courtship. Launched in the midst of the social media whirlwind, Save the Date(ing), has sought and succeeded in reviving the back to basics art of meeting a potential mate.

There is no doubt the dating scene has changed dramatically in the last decade. We live in a time when in-person dates transpire only after a stringent cyber-based prescreening process. The work has been done for us and we have, sitting in our inboxes, the profile of the perfect mate: Coldplay enthusiast who enjoys going out for sushi, reading first edition Steinbecks, working out and lives within 20 miles. Yet, the prospect of chemistry eludes us. It's nearly impossible to delineate "a connection" with someone online. What if the person is being dishonest? What if a friend drafted the person's profile? What if you don't have time to weed through hundreds of potential perfect matches only to meet in person and know within the first five minutes there is no chemistry? What if you crave anonymity?

Recent dating polls suggest fewer people are consulting the Internet and are instead opting for in-person interactive methods to meet people. They are practicing a back to the basics approach: the best way to meet someone is through a friend or a referral. After all, it's how many of our parents met each other, and their parents and their parents metand it's the model that Save the Date(ing) is based on.

Having realized the need for in-person interaction, single New Yorker Hattie Elliot decided to go from social media to socializing. In November 2008, she launched Save the Date(ing) - a social networking group for her single friends (and friends of friends), where, unlike online dating, the emphasis is on socializing and meeting people in person at different monthly events. Save the Date(ing) quickly turned into a full time job for Elliot, and only months after opening its doors in New York, Save the Date(ing) successfully expanded Westward to Los Angeles, and San Francisco, creating its own niche in the overcrowded dating industry. In 2009 Save the Date(ing) experienced such a dramatic upswing that this February the company is opening its doors in both San Diego and Chicago.

"After a year, it's clear that Save the Date(ing) is satisfying an under-served market of successful, intelligent and private singles that are looking for a sophisticated and engaging way to meet other likeminded individuals," explains Elliot. The ranks of each city's membership are filled with ambitious, dynamic, fun and attractive singles who are too busy or simply tired of surfing the net for love, or too frustrated by failed attempts to strike up a meaningful conversation with the lady/gent across the bar.

Save the Date(ing) members gather at monthly events like Pizza Making 101, Paint Your Own Pollock, Squash clinics, Etiquette dinners, Sailing lessons, and Surfing classes, where in a focused and lively setting, they can have genuine conversations with equally high caliber individuals who share the same objective. As the Save the Date(ing) membership has grown beyond Elliot's, LA Director Kelli Stember's and San Francisco Director Missy Cohan's immediate circles, all perspective members are screened personally by the ladies to ensure they would be a good fit for the group. "One reason our events have been so successful is because people know that all attendees have been personally vouched for since our membership has grown organically through friends and personal referrals," Hattie explains. "Each event hosts a uniform ratio of men to women, evening the playing field." This "back to basics" approach eliminates awkwardness and allows singles to mix and mingle comfortably. A new year has come, and with it - the hope to meet some great new friends and perhaps a new love - the tried and trusted way: through socializing!

For more information visit: savethedating.com
Photographer: Ezra Hug