Most of us can’t honestly say that we knew right away when we met our beloveds that they would be the ones we’d fall in love with, but I’d wager that most of us can easily recall the moment when we succumbed. The heart-thump sugar rush of a new crush. The knots in our tummies. The music that was playing on the stereo on our first date. The smells of the seasons when we first walked hand in hand. The first time we shared letters or texts. Those moments are indelible.

But love is complicated—by outside pressures like work, money and technology, and from internal stresses like anxiety, ego and boredom. The same forces that bring us together can often drive us apart.

This month, in honor of Valentine’s Day, Sarasota Magazine is diving into what love and romance mean in Sarasota today. We talked with couples young and old about how they met, spoke with demographers and professional matchmakers and threw ourselves into the treacherous landscape of online dating. We’ve also listed some of the best places in Sarasota for romance. Everyone wants love. Here’s how people in Sarasota are trying to find it.