"IF YOU ARE THE ONE" - SPEED DATING @ DNM x ALIVENOTDEAD

LOVE.

The one thing, more than money, that everybody wants.

It has created generations and has brought down empires.

People fight and die for it.

Give a man riches but an empty house to live in, and he will be miserable.

Take away everything from a man but have someone care and believe in him, and he will be happy.

And to quote David Bowie:

 "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love, and be loved in return."

Which brings us to SPEED DATING.

DNM and AliveNotDead recently held their first Speed Dating event, IF YOU ARE THE ONE.  Each person was given 3 precious minutes to find out if the person in front of them had that one thing, that spark, that would let the person know that, "Ok, there's something there that interests me and I want to know more".

Is it love at first sight?  Does such a thing even exist?  Let's find out...

1. PREPARE TO IMPRESS

DNM had just recently opened their new foodcourt and this was where the event was taking place.  It was very large and had plenty of seats.

At each table was placed numbers where the girls would sit.  It was the guys who would have to switch and move around.

The matchmakers in charge:  DNM's Vicky and AnD's Shan.  (I thought it was a little unfair for all the men involved that the two hottest girls were the hosts and were unavailable! haha!)

Sitting on Cupid's right shoulder was the Mandarin Stallion a.k.a. The Devil in Red Pants a.k.a Mr. Heartbreak Hotel a.k.a. The Passion Tornado  a.k.a.  Simon Yin, the Love Doctor.

One of the sponsors was Lachlan of BabyCakes, who provided the wine and snacks.

A lot had to be done with setting up the tables with candles, name tagsm gift bags, pencils and name sheets.

He's a lover, not a pencil sharpener.

Spreading petals for the finishing touch.

Then it was time to set the mood.

One last rest before it starts...

... or something more!

2.  FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE EVERYTHING

Finally the guests started to arrive.  Everyone hastily signed in, got a name card with a number, since the idea was that no one knew each other's name.  (we'll see how long that lasts!)

They may be Alive and not Dead, but they also need Love too!

Channel V was there to cover the event.  Hosts Dom and Alvey practiced their mating dance.

The place was almost filled up, and the participants were all anxious and ready to go!

It was now TIME FOR LOVE!

Simon and Vicky introduced the festivities and told everyone the rules.

DJ Shan played her awesome EXTENDED RETRO LOVE MIX!

With anticipation running high, the hosts gave some last words...

... and then WE WERE OFF!

1. "SO, WHAT'S YOUR SIGN?..."

Amid the battlefield of petals, paper, candle wax and stickers, nervous hands clutched and figited with their pencils as couples tried to make a connection in the short time span that was given.

Strength in numbers:  The AliveNotDead Boys created a unified front and held the assaulting women at bay.

Channel V tried to keep everything professional but...

Alvey decided it was time to pull out his secret pose and stunned all the ladies into submission.

Etchy seemed to approve too.

1. "TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOURSELF..."

In between sessions, Channel V interviewed several of the participants including the hosts Simon, Vicky and Shan.

1. ALWAYS SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST

Then it came time for the lucky draw for several prizes like shirts and hats.

And finally everyone got to taste some wonderful cupcakes, courtesy of BabyCakes.

There was even some LOVE for CB FRESH!

Overall, it was a fantastic experience with a better than expected turnout, great conversation, great drink and food and, hopefully, someone will have found the beginnings of something special...