Meeting someone online leads to courtships that are thousands of dollars cheaper than meeting and wooing somebody the traditional way. According to market strategists at New York City–based ConvergEx Group, the average dating period in a run-up to a marriage for a couple that met in real life hovers around the 42-month mark. If that couple goes on one date a week, at a cost of around $130 per date for meals, movies, drinks and the like, then the total cost of the courtship would amount to roughly $23,660.
