'Marry Lisa' Finds A Boyfriend: Bay Area Woman Behind Billboard Campaign Announces

SAN MATEO, CA — The Bay Area woman who turned heads by putting up billboards seeking a husband says her unconventional dating experiment has succeeded.

Earlier this month, Lisa Catalano announced that she had found a boyfriend, posting photos of herself smiling alongside her new partner.

"Applications closed! Lisa's in love and has a boyfriend," Catalano wrote on her website.

Catalano launched the "Marry Lisa" campaign last year, placing billboards around the Bay Area directing potential suitors to a website where they could submit applications. The effort later expanded to taxi-top advertisements and attracted international attention.

According to Catalano's website, she received roughly 4,000 application submissions between September 2025 and May 2026. Of those, 3,221 were genuine applications, while another 3,420 men attempted to contact her through the site's contact form rather than completing the application process.

Catalano previously said that applications poured in from across the globe after the billboards went up, with responses arriving from countries including Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada. She said at the time that she was searching for a long-term partner who shared her values and life goals.

While thousands expressed interest, Catalano said most applicants either lived too far away or did not meet her compatibility requirements. She contacted 20 local applicants and went on first dates with five of them.

How She Met Her Boyfriend

Ultimately, her boyfriend did not come through the application process.

According to her website, Catalano matched with a man on a dating app in January and directed him to her website before they met in person. Although he never submitted an application, he had seen one of her billboards.

The pair went on 19 dates over about three and a half months before becoming exclusive.

Catalano described her new boyfriend as a "kind, intelligent, attractive San Francisco Bay Area man" who met both her nonnegotiable requirements and many of the qualities she hoped to find in a partner.

On June 9, she officially ended the search.

"Lisa is extremely excited to announce that she is the proud girlfriend" of her new partner, her website states.

She stated she did not reveal his identity out of respect for his privacy.

How Much She Spent

Catalano said she spent about $4,747 on the campaign overall, including $967 on billboards, $1,002 on San Francisco taxi-top ads, and about $915 on website hosting and creation costs, meaning the actual billboards only accounted for about 20 percent of her total spending.

Additional expenses included security upgrades, promotional materials, travel, technology, wardrobe and makeup purchases tied to media appearances and dates. Despite the price tag, Catalano described the campaign as a successful low-cost marketing effort that ultimately led her to her new relationship.