Lovers Meet Online and Win eHarmony Dream Date Contest

PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 15, 2003--eHarmony, the Internet's fastest growing relationship service, today announced the winners of its 2003 Dream Date Contest. The annual contest in its third year gives couples united through eHarmony's site the opportunity to win a luxury dream date by sharing their personal eHarmony "story of romance." The top prize for the competition is a romantic weekend getaway for two in Southern California. Today eHarmony named Donna Baranowski (50) of New Brunswick, Canada, and Rob Bell (47) of San Diego, California, the grand prize-winning couple, selecting their love story from nearly 100 entries submitted worldwide.

"We received hundreds of touching eHarmony stories from all over the world, but Donna and Rob's was a fascinating combination of humor, romance and fate," said Dr. Neil Clark Warren, eHarmony founder and chairman. "Relationships take work, and we think that this couple's demonstration of effort, as well as their dedication and true love for one another, make them deserving winners of our 2003 Dream Date Contest."

BizVantage – Serious & personalized business, investment and technology intelligence for a serious advantage.
Try the free, no-hassle 6 month trial!

Baranowski and Bell's story is unique, as their journey of romance spans across 4800 miles and four time zones. "As a California native, I didn't even know where New Brunswick was when I began to communicate with Donna," said Bell. "But I decided that no matter where in the world, if it felt like true love, I wouldn't let the distance get in our way." Baranowski added, "Rob is everything that I could ever ask for in a life partner -- We love to share our story and will be forever grateful to eHarmony for bringing us together."

Donna and Rob's dream date will take place on Saturday evening, October 5. They will dine at a romantic location overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Following their meal they will be taken by limousine to Hollywood for an evening at the theatre.

This year marks eHarmony's third anniversary since it opened its virtual doors in August of 2000. Since then, the eHarmony site has had more than 1.7 million users, creating matches that have resulted in hundreds of marriages and thousands of relationships. eHarmony is not like other online dating services because it matches couples based on compatibility principles derived through research conducted with more than 5,000 married persons. eHarmony is the first and only site that is dedicated to helping singles find long-term, meaningful relationships. Four out of five eHarmony.com users find their special someone through their "scientific matching" model, based on data from thousands of couples with compatible personality profiles.

In just three short years, eHarmony has changed the face of online dating, helping thousands of users find their "soul mates" and creating long-term relationships by providing a "relationship-building service;" one designed to help people find life-long commitments with the right person.

About eHarmony

With more than 1.7 million registered users, eHarmony is the Web's fastest growing relationship service. Founded by relationship expert and best-selling author Dr. Neil Clark Warren, eHarmony is the first and only site that helps users build serious relationships for life-long love and happiness. eHarmony's matching technology is based on 35 years of empirical and clinical research on successful relationships and marriages, and it is the only site that brings singles together using a scientifically-proven set of compatibility principles. Since it's inception in 2000, eHarmony has been the first step down the aisle for thousands of its users. eHarmony is a private company headquartered in Pasadena, California and on the Web at www.eharmony.com.