Islambrella

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Everything You Need to Know

Islambrella is a concierge matchmaking service for single practicing Muslims in and around the Houston area who hold their time and privacy in high regard.

  • We are not subscription based and we do not share profiles. We meet you face to face to get to know you.
  • Our model: you pay a one time fee only when we find you a match. We coordinate introductions with your match via zoom video. We take you through the entire process, one on one.
  • Our focus is to put you through the process of halal courtship using research based methods to make you better equipped to find your better half. If Allah chooses us as the means by which you find your spouse, even better. If not, this experience is designed to help you perfect your search by understanding who you are and what you are truly looking for by actually going through the process of meeting serious people.

Phase 1: Consultation

  • Two face to face kickoff zoom video meetings between you and your coach. One to figure out who you are and the other to figure out what your looking for


Phase 2: Real Introductions

  • 3 coordinated zoom video meetings with a person hand selected by your coach.
  • Your coach will follow up with you after each of these ‘’match meetings” to address any questions or concerns you may have


Phase 3: Adjust & Repeat

  • After the third “match meeting” with each match you will have two options
  • Option 1: Take things off the platform to get more serious about pursuing marriage with your match
  • Option 2: Go back to the drawing board with us to see what went wrong so we can reflect, adjust and move onto the next match
  • Here are 5 foundational claims of our process, and the research backing up each claim. Take a look at The Research page for references and more details.
  • You will discover and learn about your own preferences in a long term partner by going through the introduction process. 
    • Real Interactions Help Discover What You Actually Want
    • Ideal Partner Preferences are Shaped by Face to Face Interactions
    • People Often Don’t Know What They Want Until They See It
    • Your Ideal Partner Looks Different in Real Life
  • Exchanging profiles before a real introduction does more harm than good. 
    • Profiles Don’t Predict Compatibility
    • Attraction to Profile Pictures Does Not Correlate to Real Life Attraction
    • The Warren Harding Error: Why Profiles Mislead
    • Profiles Cause Cognitive Overlook
  • Offering a small number of curated introductions is superior to a large number of profiles. 
    • Choice Overload Reduces Decision Quality
    • The Problem of Maximizers vs. Satisficers
    • More Options Increase Anxiety and Self-Blame
    • The Illusion of Freedom Creates Paralysis
    • Regret Increases as Options Increase
    • Too Many Choices Lower Satisfaction
    • Real Constraints Improve Happiness
  • Assessing one match at a time is optimal. 
    • Better Attention & Emotional Processing in Sequential Encounters
    • Sequential Mate Encounter is Optimal
    • Sequential vs. Simultaneous Choice
  • A face to face zoom introduction is a superior method to assess potentials. 
    • Thin-Slice Judgments & Nonverbal Accuracy
    • Nonverbal Behavior in Virtual Communication
    • The Role of Vocal Tone in Person Perception
    • High Impression Accuracy Over Video Calls

The typical Islambrella client is a single practicing Muslim who:

  • has set a sincere intention to get married
  • Wants to approach courtship in a halal manner
  • Holds their time and privacy in high regard
  • Wants to learn more about who they are and what long term compatibility looks like for them
  • Wants to keep away from swipe-driven apps
  • Doesn’t want to “market” themselves or select potentials using digital profiles
  • Lives within an hour drive from downtown Houston
  • Finds creating an online profile and filtering through profiles of others exhausting and dehumanizing.
  • Values a service which coordinates and arranges introductions between matches instead of a hands off approach
  • Wants to meet potentials for marriage face to face without the pressure to commit immediately or share information.
  • Is ready to invest into the process of finding the right person.
  • Islambrella does the work. We will hand select your match and coordinate your schedules to put you on a quick zoom video introduction.
  • All you have to do is show up and have a conversation with a person who you know aligns with you on the major things in life.
  • You will give us feedback afterwards to make sure we are on the right track, and we will arrange up to three such meetings before you will be required to take the match off our platform or move on to your next match.
  • Studies show that attraction to a person’s pictures on a digital profile is not correlated with attraction in a live face to face interaction.

 

  • The first zoom introduction between you and your match is a casual 20 minute zoom video call in which both parties will be given open ended questions to answer.

 

  • We believe in order for you to give someone a real chance you must have a real face to face interaction. Then you can decide whether to proceed with the match or move onto another match. Your match will be hand selected for you based on your preferences and deal breakers.
  • Quality over quantity, but the numbers are there. Official census data shows that there are thousands of eligible single Muslims in Houston and surrounding areas. Most of these Muslims (about two thirds) are not on dating or matrimonial apps.

 

  • We spend our time and effort getting these sincere practicing Muslims into our database. A proactive local grassroots effort to reach out to sincere Muslims looking for marriage helps us fill our database with those Muslims who avoid creating a digital profile for marriage, which apparently is still the majority.

Only our handful of coaches can see your information. Not your matches. Not anyone else in our organization. We operate on a “need to know” basis even within our organization.

You decide if and when to exchange your information AFTER you’ve had up to 3 face to face zoom video meetings with your match. Until that point you and the person you are matched with rely on our service to coordinate meetings and communication.

View How it Works for pricing information

  • Safe
    • The public does not have access to your information. We match candidates using a trained coach who gets to know you and your requirements. Our goal is to get you quality matches who we have met with, face to face. Our vetting process is thorough and hands-on.

 

  • Private
    • Our database is private, and our culture is to be discreet about our clients. Your information can only be viewed by your coach and the coach of a potential match. Even within our small organization, we keep your profile information on a “need to know” basis.

 

  • Tailored
    • We exist because we believe humans can NOT be assessed using digital profiles. You are an individual and we strive to figure out your individual traits and desires for the best results

 

  • Save your time and energy
    • Our goal is to offer you quality candidates for Marriage. This means no wasted time filtering through profiles and chatting with potentials only to be catfished or ghosted later on in the process.

 

  • Serious candidates
    • We take a faith-based approach to matchmaking. Our process is designed to filter out candidates who are not serious about marriage.
  • We can’t guarantee a match, and that’s why we don’t charge you anything until we find you a match. We define “match” as your opportunity to have a face to face zoom introduction coordinated by your coach with you and your match present. Your match will be hand selected for you by your coach. We don’t believe in sending you profiles to fulfill a quota of guaranteed matches. We believe in charging you only if we find a person who seems legitimately compatible with you.

 

  • Keep in mind at any point after the first zoom video introduction between the matched pair, if either party does not want to continue then both parties will be unmatched. This will still count as one completed match for both parties.

If there is someone in your community who you are interested in for marriage, we can match you with that person as long as you don’t have one of their dealbreakers. Step one is to set up your first free consultation.

Our use of zoom video allows for you to have your Wali present during your meetings with your match. Just let us know during the initial consultation and we will find a way to incorporate your Wali into the process.

  • The majority of single Muslims open to marriage do NOT have online profiles for marriage.

 

  • We actively seek high quality candidates within a 60 mile radius of Houston, Texas. We have an even handed local grass roots approach to add Muslim singles in this area which involves networking with local mosques, Muslim organizations, word of mouth and local Muslim events.

 

  • Let’s put it this way: Our process is designed to filter out the people who enjoy the apps.
  • 2 initial consultations to get to know you and your requirements
  • We will coordinate zoom video introductions (up to three meetings with each match as long as both parties give the green flag to proceed).
  • Multiple feedback meetings with a coach to figure out what worked and didn’t work with each person you are matched with.
  • A process designed to help you perfect your search and make you confident in your search for a life partner, whether you find that person on our platform or not.
  • 1 hour of pre-marital counseling
  • Your first payment begins when we find you a match which could be weeks or months after we put you into our database (timing depends on your requirements and the que).

 

  • After your 2 initial consultations, we will keep your credit card information on file, and your card will be charged with your authorization after we reach out to inform you that you’ve been matched.
  • As a rule of thumb, if you can drive to the city of Houston in an if you can drive to the city limits of Houston within an hour, you are within our serviceable area. Here’s a list of small cities around Houston that we service. If you live anywhere near these cities you are likely within our range: 
  • Sugar Land
  • Richmond 
  • Katy 
  • College Station 
  • The Woodlands 
  • Conroe 
  • Friendswood 
  • Baytown 
  • Galveston

We do not refund installments that have been paid, but if you do want to freeze the installment plan you may do so at any time.