At least one industry's flush: Matchmaking

Though thinner wallets might make flowers, rings, and fancy dinners tougher to afford, the sour economy seems to have set the stage for misery's perfect antidote: company.

And the industry dedicated to making matches is getting a lot of love.

Premier Match, a service with offices in Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, has signed up nearly double the number of new clients this year compared with the same time period in 2008, according to its owner Christie Nightingale.

Dating site Match.com now has more than 20 million members, a figure that grows by 60,000 daily. At Butler County-based CatholicMatch.com, the company has seen steady growth during the recession and even a spike last September when unemployment rates hit the highest level in five years.

The rise in dating is no paradox, said various industry members. Nightingale, for one, thinks the correlation boils down to two things: Those still working are working exhausted and are ready to outsource their search for companionship. And the unemployed, with new time on their hands, are able to make finding a mate their priority - despite a sizable price tag. The cost of a full-year membership at Premier Match starts around $5,500 and guarantees 10 to 12 introductions.

"As far as business is concerned, we're still rockin' and rollin'," said Nightingale, who has signed up between 32 and 47 new clients each month since October. "I keep thinking we'll feel [the recession] eventually, but we just haven't."

Yet for the first time in the company's 10-year existence, some of Premier Match's 2,000 Philadelphia clients are asking for a payment plan.

"In that respect, we've been more creative when they're a bit more budget-conscious, but they're still willing to make the investment," Nightingale said.

That's a result of a need for support and traditional family values in a time of insecurity, said CatholicMatch.com founder Brian Barcaro.

In this recession, his Web site is "attracting singles who seek partners to pray with, commiserate with, and split the bill," said Barcaro, whose company has 200,000 users and caters to Roman Catholic singles searching for love, friendship, and marriage. A one-month subscription costs $25, three months is $50, and six months is $75.