How to find the woman of your dreams?

This post by someone who has found a "cka3ka" (fairy tale) wife (and our daughter just turned 15) through LoversPlanet. I enjoy the site and come back to visit from time to time. I sometimes send photos to other single friends and encourage them to join. But international matchmaking depends on your personality and what you are looking for. These Russian/Eastern European women are seriously seeking good love relationships. I suppose a few con women are mixed in and maybe a thrill seeker or two, but I know from personal experience that many wonderful women exist on this site. An American will be very lucky to find a woman of equal quality--all things considered--through his normal dating sources or something like Match.com. The language and culture issues have to be weighed, and each guy has to make up his own mind, but for the right man, this is like dying and going to heaven. I've always dated younger women, but the older I got, the harder it was to get to first base with the ones I found attractive. Here they were like hungry fish jumping in the boat. My advice is to decide what you really want and what you are willing to give in return. If it makes sense to you, there will be 100 wife candidates for whom it will also make sense. I corresponded to Russian women 17 years ago before we had Internet, and twice I flew to Russia to check out my match. Both women I met were wonderful and exactly as advertised but I didn't think the match was right. The third time--my match through LoversPlanet--was perfect. Lyuda is at school right now--taking a free English course from the country. This morning she told me for the umpteenth time how happy she is and I feel the same way. My next bit of advice is to lay out your cards early in your correspondence ("this is what I am looking for"). Then ask her tough and specific questions about how see feels your wants and needs match up with hers. Don't let her dodge your questions. I asked her daughter (12 at the time)to write me about what she wanted. The letter I got back was wonderful and that more or less sealed the deal for me. The paperwork and expenses are a pain in the butt and in the wallet, but it was definitely the right thing for me. I've met half a dozen other Americans with Russian or Ukrainian wives and--although every story is quite different--the level of happiness is very high. -- Bob in Orlando.