I signed up for a matchmaker after getting tired of dating apps. I couldn't believe how well my first date went.

• Taylor Bannks hired a professional matchmaker after an Instagram ad caught her eye.
• She filled out an involved survey before being matched on a date.
• The service costs a couple thousand dollars, but Bannks said it was worth it after her first date.

This as-told-to essay has been adapted from a conversation with Taylor Bannks, a 33-year-old New Yorker working with a professional matchmaker. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Before I got in touch with a matchmaker, I was dating how most people date.