Destin woman launches Genesis 2:18 Matchmaking Services, Inc.

DESTIN – Koko Russo admits finding love right now –in a pandemic – isn’t easy.

But she wants to help.

The matchmaker recently launched her Destin business, Genesis 2:18 Matchmaking Services inc. offering various matchmaking packages for Christians and Jews. While she is new to the industry, Russo has studied matchmaking at IAP Career College, graduated from the Matchmaking Institute in 2018 and has experience working for speed dating companies.

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“There are different types of matchmakers,” Russo said. “Some matchmakers are for professionals and deal with entrepreneurs or some are LGBTQ matchmakers. I went to a Christian college, Temple Tennessee University for youth ministry. It didn’t work out for me, but I still wanted to do something in the field of Christianity. The reason why I chose Jewish is because when I went to school, they said the majority of people who use matchmakers are Jewish people.”

Russo based the name of her company on scripture from the Old Testament in The Bible. Genesis 2:18 says, “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’”

“It’s when God made Adam and Eve and he created Eve to marry Adam,” Russo said. “It’s like he was doing his own type of matchmaking. I thought it would be a cool name for a business.”

Russo’s first match was someone close to her, her father-in-law. He lost his wife when Russo’s husband – who is now 31 – was 7, and he hadn’t dated since.

“It was years ago,” Russo said. “I needed a client, and he said, ‘I’ll be your client. I’m going to go ahead and give you a shot.”

Russo reached out to a matchmaking company in South Florida for people in their matchmaking database. Matchmakers collaborate through referrals to help people find their right match, she said.

“He ended up falling in love with the match I helped find,” Russo said.

Russo matched her father-in-law in 2018 and he has since married that match.

Because of the coronavirus outbreak, Russo recommends people looking for love right now try online, or virtual, dating.

“Try Zoom to have dates,” Russo said. “You can also have Internet games you can play. Be very cautious while dating right now during the pandemic.”

She has some advice for the initial stages of dating, too.

“Never talk about politics on your first date,” Russo said. “The second thing, is always be honest with who you are when you’re going on date or when you’re looking for someone to date. You don’t want to be fake. That’s why some people use matchmakers, because we do background checks. We really screen our clients.”

One of the biggest struggles she sees in dating are unrealistic expectations.

“Let’s say you’re looking for a long-term relationship with someone, but you have too high of a standard – so high that you will probably never meet a person who meets that standard,” Russo said.

Her advice to single people is simple.

“Be patient, and the right person will find you,” Russo said.

For more information, visit https://www.genesis218matchmaking.com.