Secret Sixth Sims Sense

With the way I like to play, I think I tend to do both ways. I prefer to play with sims that I create myself, and rather than creating couples in CAS, the play becomes much more interesting if they meet in game instead. Sometimes it happens easily, and sometimes it doesn't. It would be great if the meetings were as realistic and natural as possible, but sometimes things just don't happen as planned so I'd have to be a bit more involved.
For instance, in one of my saves, I set two of my sims in the spice market neighbourhood in San Myshuno, but in separate buildings. My idea was that they'd meet by accident in one of the festivals. It seemed the game had other plans because the two just never ended up in the same place. I had to get my sim to befriend a premade who lived in the same building where her 'intended' was. It took a lot of effort and a number of visits before my two sims finally got to meet by 'accident'!