Please read what I am writing. I am making this suggestion for those social circles in which men and women DO NOT routinely have social relationships with each other. Obviously if they already do, this will not make a difference.
I’ll tell you why it’s important for singles to be themselves on dates. A shadchan calls up a boy and says “I have a great girl for you, she’s super outgoing and friendly!” He sets up a date with her, she gets there and barely says a word. Why? Because she’s nervous. He’s not going to want another date with her because he specifically told the shadchan that he wants a girl who’s outgoing. Conversely, a quiet girl might get nervous on a date and start babbling about anything under the sun. She will not get a second date with a boy who prefers a quiet girl.
If we allow men and women a little bit of unstructured time to meet and socialize (at a wedding, mind you, where there are plenty of chaperones and nothing untoward can happen) maybe they will feel more comfortable in the dating scene and the above scenarios will not happen.