How many dates does it take to find the one in an arranged marriage setup?

Marriage is one of the most important decisions of life and nobody wants to take the plunge without being sure about their prospective partner. When it comes to an arranged marriage setup, the situation turns a bit more complicated. You have not dated the person before and sometimes, you are expected to take a call after meeting him/her for a few times.

How can one be sure whether he/she is ‘the one’? Well, who knows this better than those who met their soulmates in an arranged married setup and are happily married today! We got in touch with five couples and asked them how many times they met before saying ‘yes’, here is what they shared.

“I was working in Europe at that time and was visiting India only for three weeks. My parents had already been talking to my girl’s (now my wife) family since a month, and they wanted me to take a decision within those 21 days. So, I used to meet her almost every day in the evening after her office ended. After going on ten dates, I was sure she’s the one.”

“We studied in the same class but never dated each other. We even lost touch after school and interestingly, our families got in touch through a matrimonial website. I was pleasantly surprised when I realised my parents liked a girl who was my school friend. We had many mutual friends and after talking to her, it felt like we never lost touch in all these years. We met twice at a coffee shop and decided to tie the knot.”

“We have a very unique love story. My husband was settled in Australia and somehow, had no plans of visiting India for the next three months. We did countless video chats to understand each other better and everything just felt right. He came to India three days before our wedding, and we got to see each other just once!”

“We were under no pressure from our families and they was no limit on the number of dates we can go for. So, we used to stay connected entire day online, and meet three to four times in a week. We asked each other a million questions in this one month and then, got engaged. The marriage was after seven months, so we had a good courtship period as well.”

“We belonged to conservative families and got to see each other only when the families met. One day, we lied at our homes and snuck out to meet at a coffee shop. We are happily married today but suggest every couple to meet at least five times before taking the decision.”

(All images used here are representational)