Inside Silicon Valley’s Invite-Only IRL Dating Scene

“Greetings, Lovers, Legends, and Gods of Desire!” read the Partiful invite for the pre-Valentine’s Day gathering. “Eros, the god of love, drives us all with his mischievous arrows. On this night, we will surrender to his playful whims.” Then, sternly and in all caps: “YOU MUST BE PRE-APPROVED TO GET IN.” A couple of days later, a text blast came in; the planners of this in-person dating meetup for singles were budgeting for 200 attendees, but more than 1,000 people applied, so there'd be a venue change. RSVPs closed at 3 pm sharp the day of the event. Then, at night, Barbarossa Lounge in San Francisco’s Financial District welcomed the lucky guests who managed to get their names on the list. The event, Love in the Stars, was hosted by local event promoter Spice King and the online platform Paloma, which describes itself as a dating-oriented members club. Per the invitation’s instructions, attendees dressed to signal their status; the singles wore a dash of red to make themselves ident ... Read full article.