Finding love can be a lengthy process. But, 44 young singles were hoping to do so within three minutes on Wednesday evening, as they gathered at the W Hoboken Hotel for a speed-dating event co-hosted by dating company HurryDate.

Lindsay Janel, 26, of Ridgewood, said she was dragged to the event by one of her friends. It was the second one she's been to, but she noticed a major difference this time.

"This is all business. The other one was small, and not in a sexy room like this," she said. "This is—wow—this is a hard-core business."

Women could get their hair and make-up done right before the event. "This is the real deal," Janel said. 

The group was a mixture of 25 to 35-year-old first-time and veteran speed-daters, along with those who came along as moral support for friends, such as Janel.

The 20 guys—some of whom were dressed in shorts and sandals, while others were wearing suits—rotated around the room, while the 24 ladies stayed in their seats. The pairs were given two and a half minutes to chat before coordinator Carly Kutner blew a whistle, signaling that it was time to move down the line.

Just about every girl in the room stopped by the hair and makeup tables prior to the start of the event. International salon Toni & Guy, whose East Coast flagship store is in Hoboken, offered hair touch-ups; Purple Lab did the same for make-up.

The guests sipped cocktails and mingled in the lobby prior to the event, some laughing happily, as the alcohol took the edge off. Just like in a bar, some commented.

Of course, it's not quite the same. A 32-year-old Hobokenite, who declined to give her name, said after years on the Hoboken scene, she is ready to give this a (cautious) shot.

"It's definitely better than the bars, but sometimes you get the same results," she said. "There is a little more pressure here because there's no escape. You can't pretend you need to go get another drink."

Fellow Hobokenite Debie Vanalstyne, 35, sees more potential in speed-dating than she does in the bars.

"I'm here because I decided I need to try the dating scene. I've been to the bars, and I meet people, don't get me wrong, but are you really going to meet your match at a bar? Someone you'll bring home to your mom? I don't think so!" she said. Vanalstyne tried to get her friends to come along, but they all refused.

First-timer Anish Cheeran, 29, of Freehold, said he came in with no expectations. "I'm just hoping to meet someone to hang out with," said Cheeran, who works as a financial analyst in Manhattan.  

The participants are asked not to exchange phone numbers at the event. Everyone has a number and a score sheet, and scores are submitted via a website. Mutual matches are given each other's contact information.

Monique August, 28, of Woodbridge, was on the stand-by list, left waiting to see if there would be a disproportionate number of men to women, in which case she would've been asked to join the dating frenzy.

"I figured 'what the hell?'" she said.

With only four more females than males, August didn't get a chance to speedily meet a man on Wednesday night. She said she had already attended one speed dating event prior to Wednesday evening. She said she decided to give speed dating another go, because "it's better than online dating because you get to measure their appearance."

Appearance plays a key role in determining chemistry, especially when couples are given just two minutes and 30 seconds to get to know each other.

"You don't realize how short that is," said Raquel Rivera, 35, of Clifton. "You can ask about where they are from, where they work, and what they do in their downtime, but that's about it."

Even in the brief time she was given, Rivera reports meeting someone who she thinks is "really cute," and she hopes to hear from again.

Will he be the one? Only time will tell. If not, there are plenty of other fish in the sea.

"Meeting people isn't the problem," Rivera says. "The problem is meeting the right people."

If anyone was lucky in love Wednesday night, the W Hoboken Hotel invites them back for their first date that is longer than 2.5 minutes. Couples who met at the event will be given two complimentary drinks on their next visit.

HurryDate hosts many speed dating events in Hoboken. For more information check out their website.