Arranged Marriage In America: Is It For You?

You've tried online dating, blind dating, speed dating. You've tried following The Rules and breaking them. You've patiently pressed snooze on your biological clock, but you're ready to find your husband and start a life together already. Only let's face it: With our current marriage-seeking methods and mindset, the odds of relationship success seem mediocre at best. Extended courtship the Western way hardly guarantees lasting love. It just may be time to try something new…rather, something old: arranged marriage. Sound crazy? Couples who've been there don't think so. Arranged Marriage: Not So Bad?

What Is Arranged Marriage?
An arranged marriage is set up not by the couple, but by their families. The parents meet first and then coordinate the initial introduction between their children. In Western arranged marriages the potential bride and groom are offered a few opportunities for conversation before they're expected to decide whether they want to commit to the marriage. That's a drastic change from traditional arranged marriages where the bride and groom were entitled to less input, if any at all, and often met at the altar.

In some cases couples genuinely get to know each other before they wed. They do, however, commit before things advance, not after. Deven Vora, who lives in NYC and has been married for 16 years, says that he and his wife dated for a year prior to marriage, but, he says "Once we declared that we liked one another, the intent was always to be married."