Love has no boundaries except those we set ourselves

OK, here you go, you're ready to take the first step - Writing a letter or email to the ladies you've chosen from our galleries. First of all, let us wish you good luck in your new adventure!

 

If you think that in this section we state the obvious, please don't be insulted by it. We have been introducing ladies to gentlemen, and vice-versa, for over 10 years, and sometimes we see what we consider a "perfect match". We suggest that a gentleman writes to a certain lady and, a few weeks later, we bump into the lady and ask her how it's going - Imagine our disappointment when we hear "It's going nowhere" ... When we ask why, it's invariably down to the first letter the gentleman wrote to the lady

 

When you bump into a lady in the street, or see her across the park, or in your office, it's that first 'look' that is, quite probably, the telling sign that this is a possible friendship in the making, or not, as the case may be.

 

Right now, you have an advantage - You've had the opportunity to not just see the ladies (in their photographs) but to also learn a little about them. This is already so much better than a casual glance across the street, so let's not blow it, OK?

 

When your letter or email arrives with your lady, she will be taking that 'first look' at you, just like you already have at her. We're not trying to scare you here - Just impress upon you the importance of getting this part right. Spend some time drafting your first letter and, if you a have a friend or two who you don't mind showing it to, show it to them also for their input.

1] Don't start your letter "Dear Katarina" (or whatever the lady's name is). Start it off with "Hello Katerina" instead, because the word "Dear" in Russia and Ukraine is rather more personal. Similar to the way the French use the words "tu" and "vous", both meaning "you", but "tu" being more reserved for children, loved ones and close friends, the word "dear" at the start of a letter to a Russian-speaking lady would imply you already know her, and that some affection pre-exists. It would be much better to wait until you are starting your 3rd or 4th letter to her to switch from "Hello" or "Hi" to "Dear" - This would then be taken as a sign of your growing affection for the lady ... And wait to see how she starts her reply to you (If she's not too shy)!

 

2] Don't start your letter with any phrase like "I saw your picture, thought how beautiful you are, and just had to write to you".

 

Russian and Ukrainian ladies don't want to be appreciated just because of their appearance - They want you to appreciate them for their personal qualities. You have already narrowed your search by studying profiles, so use a feature in the lady's profile, rather than her photograph, to start the ball rolling. Also, you should be aware that the word "beautiful" has a rather different meaning to how we interpret it in the western world. It is actually quite "special", and would be more appropriate if addressing a gorgeous fashion model or the winner of Miss World! The Russian/Ukrainian equivalent of a Westerner's "beautiful" is, in fact, "attractive".

3] Using humour is good. Russian and Ukrainian ladies tend to have a dry sense of humour, and a little "fun" in your letter will make it better reading. Make sure that the humour is not at the lady's expense - turn it around on yourself, so that the lady knows you are capable of making her smile!

 

4] Truth rules right from your first words. What life-long relationship survives if it is not based on truth? Yes, you want to impress the ladies you are writing to, but don't get carried away. Ukrainian and Russian ladies are very intuitive, and just as capable of spotting something in a letter which doesn't sound quite right ... You don't want their last ever words to you to be "Yeah, right!".

 

5] Content: You have the advantage right now, because you have read the lady's profile. With over 10 years in this business, we have formatted our lady profiles to give you the basic information you need to start your selection, so use our experience and try to include all the same information in your letter. We're not suggesting that you print it out like a form, but include as many aspects in your letter as you can, and try to highlight the similarities between you and the lady. "I noticed you like nature, and I really enjoy walking through a forrest near to my home". By the way, you'll see nature mentioned in many profiles - It doesn't mean naturism or nudity, rather countryside and outdoors!!  Also, shaping doesn't mean clay-modelling or pottery, but aerobics or keep-fit. These are just 2 words which have slightly different meanings in Russian and English, just like beautiful and dear.

 

6] Your status: "I have a house, a car, a colour TV and a dishwasher". Oh no, now your lady thinks she's the next item on your shopping list! These ladies already know that Western gentlemen tend to lead comfortable lives - They've read about it, and this is possibly one of many reasons they've registered with us. Many of them also have a car, TV, etc, so what are they gaining? "I really enjoy the 20 minute drive from my house through the countryside to my work every morning, but I enjoy the journey back even more!" tells the lady what you want her to know, without shoving it down her throat.

 

7] Avoid slang: No matter how good the lady's command of English is, there will likely be a word or words in your letter that she's unsure of, and needs to look up. To use a totally silly example, if you're a London Cockney and say "When I walk up the apples and pears to my bedroom each night" could easily convince her that you really live on a fruit farm!!!

 

8] Personalise the letters: You may be writing your introductory letter to 16 ladies, but do you really want them to know that? Using a word processor is a great way to mass-produce your first batch of letters, but please, please, please check each letter through, and make sure that it has content relevant to each lady you're writing to. Also, please don't start the letter with one girl's name and then call her something else half-way through - Yes! That's happened too!

 

9] Photos: So you've got your letter how you'd like it, and now you're looking through 28 photos deciding which ones and how many to send? Look at our web site. We have one or two photos of each lady on view, with more often available on demand - This is exactly how you should play it too.

 

You've probably noticed that many of the ladies on our web site have gone to the trouble of getting a professional photograph taken, so a photo of you in your favourite sweatshirt and jeans, taken with a low resolution mobile phone camera, just isn't going to hack it. If you're going to create a good impression, your photo is as important as your letter, so a small investment in a good quality photo of you in a business suit will pay dividends. Don't stuff the envelope full of pictures of your house, car, family etc - It's you the lady wants to see.

 

10] Ask for a reply: It's strange how many men send 20 letters, and then sit back expecting 20 replies. The ladies on our site (particularly the ones with "model" photographs, and those that have been added recently) could quite possibly receive 10 or 15 letters in one post delivery. It is also quite possible that they'll make the same mistake that you did when you first found our website - They'll quickly scan through the photos (see 9 above) and pick out 2 or 3 good-looking ones to reply to. So tell the lady that you would like a reply, either way. The worst that can happen is that she sends you a note saying "no thanks", but, as in most cases with Russian and Ukrainian ladies, if you want something, ask for it. If you ask nicely, you'll get it.

 

11] Send a translation or use our email translation service: As we mentioned in 10 above, the ladies you write to could receive a whole bunch of letters in one postal delivery. If they scan through them quickly, are they going to pick out a letter in English with a shabby photograph, or a nice photograph attached to a letter in Russian? If your letter is in their native language, with a nice photo, there is almost a 100% chance that it will be read. If you've also asked politely for a reply, she'll realise the trouble you've gone to getting your letter translated and almost feel obliged to respond.

Before you get too carried away, lighten up - Your first letter is an introduction, not a life story or full career CV. There is no "ideal length" for this letter, but a page or two is probably enough.  Half a page is not.

Whilst this section has referred all the way through to a written (postal) letter, the advice applies equally if you are sending an email. Also, any photographs you send by email should be small in file-size. Not all Russian email accounts allow or can handle large file-attaches, so try to keep the total file-attach size down to below 100Kb.

And finally ... We'll end this section in the same way we started it, by wishing you good luck in this start to your new adventure and quest for your soul-mate!