Relationship Expert Gives Advice on Dating and Marriage

For those looking for a dating style that’s less iPhone-charged and more traditional, matchmaker and Relationship Expert  Hellen Chen has an alternative, albeit abrupt, method for setting people up. Chen, who has offices in both Los Angeles and Taiwan and regularly works with the San Gabriel Valley community, is the author of the book Matchmaker of the Century. She’s been setting people up through her relationship workshops or via referrals for over a decade.

“I want people to date after they marry,” Chen explains on the phone from Taiwan, where she’s leading a workshop. Her philosophy on partnership calls for individuals to know each other for a few months and quickly determine if they have the same goals, and then tie the knot.

“I think that 95 percent of people out there dating, they break up, and then they have a broken heart,” Chen says. She explains that the bad dating experiences carry on into relationships and the moment people encounter hardships, they break it off, thinking that the next person will be better. According to her matchmaking methods-which are almost like an arranged marriage- it’s better to marry someone and learn to work through problems.

Chen echoes Dr. Warren’s sentiment that before people get married they should have a clear idea of what they want and need in a partner. She has married 50 people so far, and says that most couples are happy and starting families. Next month, she is headed to a wedding where the couple has only known each other for four months.