My parents are Pakistani, and in South Asian culture it is common to have an arranged marriage.
Arranged marriage has a whole process in itself, but is usually confused with forced marriage. Which is why when I tell people my parents' not-so-romantic love story, they are shocked. That's just because they don't have the details as to what an arranged marriage entails.
Arranged marriage is very cultural and is a traditional way of getting married, and is still common today. It is when the parents or elders in the family arrange a marriage of the two people involved, without them really knowing them. The elders look at the background of where the other person comes from, their looks, their job, their religion, values, upbringing, etc, as if looking at their online dating profile-- but in real life. The parents of both sides meet and discuss their futures of their children and what they want out of it, as well as getting to know the sides of the family better.
Once they are in agreement, they usually let the future couple meet each other and have a chance to converse and things start rolling fast. In some cases, the bride and groom know nothing about each other, not even what they look like.
But the key thing to remember is that arranged marriage is consensual, they ask their son or daughter if they are okay with proceeding with the marriage, which is what makes it different from a forced marriage where the two do not have any say.
Now there are pros and cons to this, and that can also be the same way with the western idea of having a love marriage. Because you don't already know the person in an arranged marriage, you can spend the rest of your married life getting to know them, which to me sounds like an adventure, you can grow together, and fall in love as a married couple.
Like any marriage, there are little bumps in the road. And in times where things are difficult, the family is involved way more than in a love marriage, they are willingly wanting to help you and your partner succeed in this marriage that they arranged for you. They will do anything to help you overcome any obstacle because it's likely that they have faced it in their own marriage as well.
According to Statistic Brain, the global divorce rate for arranged marriages is 6% while love marriages are more than 50%. Arranged marriages may sound scary at first, but they are pretty practical, the more you know.
Don't get me wrong, marrying the love of your life sounds fabulous as well, but an arranged marriage wouldn't be so bad after all.
