AnastasiaDate is your stereotypical Russian mail-order bride service for the new age. They don’t come right out and say it, but if you dig deeper into the site your will see that they describe the site as “the world’s leading International Dating and Romance Tour company connecting Western men with the most exquisite and available ladies from Russia.” So, yeah. Russian mail order brides.

They take their name from the legend of Anastasia, saying it evokes thoughts of “Russia’s multi-layered culture, and instantly reminds of a specific geography, an era of transformation, remarkable beauty and the yearning spirit of women, and the countless paths of destiny.” I can tell you that from my first moment on the site.. I was not thinking any of that at all. Originally (way back in 1994) they were up as RussianBrides.com – THAT more accurately describes the thoughts I had while looking at the site.

AnastasiaDate is associated with AmoLatina.com, AsianBeauties.com, and AfricaBeauties.com. It has been featured on 48 Hours, The Daily Show, The Howard Stern Show, Jennie Jones, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, and the BBC.

Features

• Signing up for the site is 100% free.
• Over 15,000 available ladies.
• Detailed member profiles with high resolution photos.
• Can search by age, height, weight, hair color, level of English speaking skills, whether she has children (and their ages), and whether she smokes or not.
• Can set up subscriptions so you are notified when there are new ladies fitting your desired specifications.
• Correspondence – allows you to send and receive emails from ladies on the site.
• Virtual Gifts – allows you to send a digital image that will be shown on a member’s profile for 7 days. Choices include things such as a rose, a diamond ring, a glass of wine, an angel, a butterfly, a bowl of ice cream, a treasure chest, and an apple.
• Flowers & Presents – allows you to send non-virtual gifts to other members using local affiliate businesses. You can choose between roses, special gifts, perfumes, fruit vases, a teddy bear, a bottle of sparkling wine, and chocolates. AnastasiaDate will send you a photo of the member with the gift(s) after they receive them.
• Call Me – allows you to have a three-way phone conversation with a translator and a lady of your choice. They promise a high quality translation, and for the translator to do their best to present you in “the most favorable light”.
• Video Date – allows you to hear and SEE your lady of choice. An interpreter is available free of charge.
• Date Me – AnastasiaDate will co-ordinate a meeting with a member of the site and offer you a translator during your time together.
• Connect with AnastasiaDate through social media: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube.
• Live 24/7 support and toll free numbers.
• There is a mobile version of the site (including correspondence, camshare, live chat, search, etc), but seems to only be available for Android phones.

The Good

AnastasiaDate is a niche site that knows what it’s doing. I mean, for the majority of the population, this site is not for us. But for men who are looking for woman to settle down, get married, and play perfect housewife, this site is a goldmine! Same goes for hot, singles ladies in Russia looking to marry a man of North America.. I guess.

I have to say that they do have lots of very good features. Yes, you have to pay a ludacrous amount for some of them, but at least the option is there. Most dating sites don’t have options like sending real gifts and going on “romance tours”, and none, that I know of, offer the services of human translators.

They are also very committed to keeping a safe and secure site. I honestly do find that most dating sites are quite safe these days, but AnastasiaDate makes a special point to make you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are safe and secure.

The Bad

I find credit systems terribly annoying. With a monthly fee I am prepared for the same amount each time and can work it into my budget. I’m much more comfortable paying a a larger lump fee and having unlimited use than I am buying credits all willy nilly and whatnot.

Another thing is that, as a lady, there is nothing here for me. It’s simply men and Russian women. If you are anyone fitting outside one of those classifications, you’re out of luck. What if I wanted a studly Russian husband? No? Okay then. What if I’m a lesbian and want a loyal Russian bride? Still no? Okay, fine. Your loss, AnastasiaDate.

Pricing

AnastasiaDate works mostly on a system of credits (that you need to purchase), but some features have a separate set price. Here is a break down of cost/credit requirements:

• Correspondence — 10 credits for every email sent, and 10 credits for every email you open.
• Virtual Gift — 15 credits.
• Flowers & Presents — anywhere from 29 to 869 credits, depending on the flower(s)/gift(s) you choose.
• Call Me — 100 credits for the first 10 minutes, and 10 credits for every minutes after that.
• Video Date — $49.50 for the first 10 minutes, $4.95 for every additional minute.
• Date Me — $70 to set-up meeting and for an hour and a half of interpreter assistance. After the hour an a half the interpreter costs $20 an hour. Cost of the outing (dinner, drinks, whatever you want to do) is not included.
• Romance Tours — $4795 for the current tour to Odessa/Nikolaev (includes airfare from JFK, accommodations, three socials (many members), three dates (one on one), three guided tours, 200 credits for AnastasiaDate). You can also get a package for $3593 that included everything except airfare (for those who can’t leave from JFK).

Credits cost a range of prices, depending on how many you buy. You can also “earn” credits by recommending the site to your friends, but I have to believe it’s not all that many.

They accept payment by Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, PayPal, and Skrill.

Conclusion

To me, the credits seem silly, the prices are unjustified, and the entire concept feels very misogynistic. But hey, if you’re a man with money to spend and a desire to bag a trophy wife who will play homemaker and conform to your every whim, then you’ve come to the right site!  AnastasiaDate, regardless of its intentions, is a well designed, well managed, and well secured site.