Being Single In Hoboken Ain't Easy

While the Guinness World Record in speed dating was broken at the W Hotel Friday night, the real question remains: did anybody actually find love?

Hundreds of singles between the ages of 21 and 35 trickled into a large ballroom filled with endless rows of tables around 9 p.m., looking their sharpest, ready to impress a member of the opposite sex in no more than three minutes at a time. 

Girls wore heels, some guys were wearing ties. Still, short skirts and long lashes could not conceal the nerves and awkwardness some people were feeling as they sat down on the chairs that corresponded with the numbers on their name tags. Girls twirled their hair, boys shook their knees nervously under the table.

"I am nervous," said Megan Smith, 29, before the actual dating kicked off. "I've never done anything like this."

Her friend Beth Eckes, 33, from Madison said she was more excited than nervous, and that she was participating just to "try something new." And actually meeting someone? "That'd be icing on the cake," she said. 

New York City-based cosmetics brand Purple Lab organized the event, which was officially named "Find Your Luvah." The brand is releasing a new product on Feb. 18: a libido lipstick named "Luvah." The event cost $15 and proceeds went to the charity "Women in Need."

"We're a really small brand," said Sharon Hirsch, Purple Lab's communications director. "This (event) will put us on more people's radar."

The dating, which was an hour divided into three-minute time slots (which meant that everybody had a total of 20 "dates") was hosted by VH1 celebrity Steven Ward, who encouraged everybody to keep an open mind in their quest for their "Luvah."

The previous speed dating record was 250 people at the same time, Hirsch said. About midway through the event, Ward announced the record had been broken.

Before the dating started, the participants got a chance to sample Purple Lab—and other—products and enjoy a (very sweet) fruity cocktail and hors d'oeuvres while getting to know each other in a less-awkward setting. 

For 24-year-old Dave Richardson, this proved to be the most successful part of the evening. 

"I met a chick before it started," Richardson said after the event. "I'm doing it on my own." He added that he got the girl's digits and that he was about to have another drink with her in a bar.

Richardson, who recently moved to Hoboken, said he participated to meet new people. 

Hours before the event kicked off, Hirsch was still being flooded with e-mails from girls trying to get in to the event. The girls' registration was full within three days after posting the event on the brand's web site, Hirsch said. The boys' registration was filled the day of the event. 

Still, there were more girls than boys, causing some ladies to resort to pulling their blackberries from their bags during date-free three minute intervals. 

While some people attended the event just for fun, for others it was a way to get their minds off their worries. 

"My boyfriend just dumped me," said 24-year-old Nikki from Astoria. Her friend Mayra, 28, also from Astoria, was there for a similar reason. "I just broke up with the worst man ever," she said.

Hoboken resident Lacey (who didn't want to reveal her last name) said she did not meet anybody during the hourlong speed dating, due to the shortage of men.

"I'm disappointed," she said. "They should've planned better." 

Visibly upset after the event, Lacey, 25, was ready to leave. "I'll go to the Shannon and find some guy from Stevens to dance with," she said, as she grabbed a gift bag—which included, among other things, the latest issue of Life & Style magazine, hair product and Pop Chips—and stormed out of the hotel. 

"The best way in Hoboken to meet guys," Lacey added, "is playing fuss-ball at the Shannon."

Jamie Schuh contributed reporting. Check out her first person account of the evening.