Arranged-Love Marriages

In Indian culture, marriages are considered to be an important institution and the word of the elders of the family is considered to be final . Until recently, children had no choice but accept the choice of their parents. Nowadays, things have changed and parents allow arranged-love marriages. The concept of Indian arranged-love marriages is that, parents select and then the two are allowed to court each other and the love brews. Some modernists think that there cannot be love between two individuals, unless they know each other. Anyhow, Indian marriages have stood testimony to the fact that individuals who have not seen each other before marriage live happily for years and this cannot happen unless there is love or commitment for each other. People do fall in love after marriage and that is the beauty of arranged-love marriages.

The customs followed in arranged-love marriages in India are traditional and might include all the paraphernalia associated with a typical Indian wedding. These kind of Indian marriages are arranged marriages and have proven to be more successful than the love marriages. In the arranged - love weddings, the marriage is held according to the traditional Indian style. The same rituals are performed - the priest chants the hymns, the bride and the groom take the 'saat pheras' or circles around the holy fire, and finally there is the 'vidai' of the bride. Pre and post wedding ceremonies are present in the arranged-love marriages.

The special features of the arranged-love marriages in India are many, but one of the important features is that despite being an arranged marriage, a mutual understanding prevails between the two sides as both bride and groom have been given a chance to know each other better and fall in love. Couples do obey the religious dictum and still find marital satisfaction and this very feature adds to the importance of this wedding.