Matchmakers reveal ‘rules’ to dating in DC

Autumn is here (the first official day was Wednesday), and a pair of matchmaking gurus is aiming to help Capitol Hill regulars fall in love this season.

Callie Harris and Jaime Bernstein of ThreeDayRule.com, a tech-enabled, personalized matchmaking service that launched in the nation’s capital in January, are sharing some of their tips to finding love while working in politics.

{mosads}The duo’s biggest piece of advice? Be open-minded.

“Don’t let your political ideology dictate who you’re going to date,” Harris says. A couple on opposite ends of the political spectrum can “balance each other out,” she claims.

“Love can be surprising,” Bernstein adds. “And being open to those maybe working in a different political party or affiliation, you might find that you actually have a lot
in common.”

Bernstein and Harris count some “high-level individuals” among their clients, including politicians and White House and Capitol Hill staffers. 

The common bond of knowing what it takes to work on the Hill can also help a budding relationship, the two say. Congressional staffers dating one another are seeing “people who understand their schedules, who potentially have the same schedule, who are interested in the same things.”

But sometimes, expanding one’s horizons beyond Capitol Hill can kick-start a relationship-seeker’s love life.

“Be open to both other staffers and getting outside of the Hill, exploring other quadrants in D.C.,” Bernstein suggests.

While both agree it’s not a bad thing for staffers to mix their personal and professional lives by dating, Harris, 25, points out that “there are so many other people in the city” and says “you shouldn’t just limit yourself to the people that you’re working with.”

When it comes to lawmakers who are looking for love, they advise that discretion, such as through a matchmaking service, is essential.

“We’re able to very discreetly, very tactfully search for these individuals that will be a good balance for someone that’s very recognizable and has a high-level position,” says Bernstein. While Three Day Rule offers a free pool where anyone can create a profile, a three-month package with a personal matchmaker runs $4,500.

When going on that first date, Bernstein, 31, says, be sure to keep it under two hours. “You want to avoid dating burnout.”

And she says don’t mix up a first date with a job interview, or worse, an interrogation: “You always want to be your authentic self, but on that first meeting you always want to keep it very positive, very light and very easy going.”