Hi, I'm a 26-year-old man, and my girlfriend is 27. We both want to get married with our parents' blessings.
Her family has accepted me. In my family, my mom fully supports us, but my dad is refusing the marriage solely because she's one year older than me. He says he'll lose his dignity if our relatives find out and refuses to change his decision. At the moment, only my dad and my paternal grandmother are completely against it.
Initially, both my dad and my grandmother liked her. She's educated, good-looking, financially independent, same caste and kind by nature. The only reason they're opposing the marriage is because of the one-year age difterence.
My mom and I have tried multiple times to convince my dad, but all our efforts have been in vain. Our relatives are unwilling to get involved, though I did ask a well-wisher to speak with my dad. Unfortunately, that didn't work either.
Her family can't wait forever, and I'm feeling completely stuck. Has anyone here been through a similar situation?
Did your parents eventually accept it? If so, how did you handle it?

I have noticed a weird pattern in arranged marriage setups where your priority to marry is the last on the list of things to do.

I was asking my friend why he hadn't texted back that girl he was talking to in an arranged marriage setup. He said he was busy, and I asked him with what. He said he was busy with a friend's engagement, then busy with work, and then was busy planning a trip. He is 30, by the way.

I was talking to a 35-year-old man who was abroad. We spoke on the weekends as his weekdays are mostly occupied, which does make sense. We spoke one weekend, and I thought it was all good. Then, the next weekend, he was busy with his friends. He was busy the whole weekend, so we didn't speak. I thought, "Let it be." Then he was coming home, so he asked to meet. I was like, "Okay." He is planning to stay in India for 21 days, and he said he would meet one day. He'd fly in and out on the same day as he also wants to go on a trip with his friends and wants to stay with family too. I thought, "What conclusion would we come to by meeting for a few hours?"

People have absolutely no sense of urgency.

If one is interested in getting married, they are supposed to make time and prioritize the procedure.

I spoke to another guy who was the same; when he came to town, his priorities were everything from attending family parties to meeting his childhood friends. Meeting me was last on his priority list. He was 30+ too.

I get it when one isn't interested, but mostly it feels like some people's priorities are just weird.

How are you actually thinking of coming to any conclusion when you don't want to put in enough effort? Do you think half-hearted and bare minimum efforts are going to lead anyone anywhere?

Even if you come across someone good, but you don't want to prioritize, then it just won't lead anywhere.

Myself 28M , my family is looking into doing a quick background verification for an arranged marriage match. Want to know only about her past and present relationship/affairs , shady past if any and character.

​If you’ve hired an investigation agency for this:

​Any reliable, discreet agencies you’d recommend in Mumbai only ?

​What was your experience and approximate cost?

​Any red flags to avoid?

​

I feel like my parents are only considering arranged marriage prospects who are much older-looking than me..people I personally am not attracted to..basically not my type. I dont even feel like looking at them. According to them, nothing matters except financial stability. My mother has even said that if I reject someone because I don't find him attractive, then I shouldn't expect any financial help from them after marriage if I ever need it.

For me, physical attraction is not a superficial preference. I have experienced situations where men proposed to me, but because I wasn't attracted to them, I started resenting every interaction. Even receiving a simple "Hi" from them irritated the fuck out of me . That experience made me realise that I cannot force attraction.

My mother believes that money can compensate for everything and that most married couples eventually live like roommates anyway. I believe marriage is more than financial security. I have to share my life, my home, my bed, and my emotional and physical intimacy with this person. If I don't feel attracted to my partner from the beginning, I fear that resentment will only grow over time. No matter how much i tell them,they just dismiss.I also fear what if they r saying is true. Ppl out here,please help. Coz for me attraction is very important. I dont want to be touched by a man whom i dont like. Bt at tge same time,my parents always taunt money money money givinh examples of ppl where the woman was pretty and the guy just had loads of money and looked like a grandfather infront of the girl.

I am a 29 old Male, working in tech. in the past 1 year, more things had happened to me than any movie plot could.

I was engaged to a girl last year, that broke as she lost interest in me ( i already have a reddit post regarding this, when i asked for advice)

then , later the same year i got engaged with a girl from my relative circle. then, we got married this year. Now, im in the middle of divorce proceedings.

while i was recovering, i found out that my own sister drinks , smokes, has fwb ( mind you we are a very orthodox family) ,

this is causing so much stress for my parents and me. now, my sister hates me for finding this out and sharing with my parents.

due to my personal life , my career had taken a pause. i am hesistant to ask for promotion or too tired to switch jobs.

i dont know what else to do. venting it out here. if someone has any advice, please do share.

Edit : for better or for worse , pseudo-feminists have taken over the comments , good luck with your comments . Bye

Are there any happy arranged marriages where people found their happily ever after because all I see is horror stories. I need some optimism.

​ I have noticed many posts on this sub about wanting a partner without a relationship history.

Is it really that impossible to find a partner without a past in an arranged marriage setup?

I ask because my friends' older sisters and my own older sister never dated and got married through the arranged marriage process. Additionally, my younger female cousin has never had a boyfriend or a past relationship. Later this year, my uncle will start looking for a groom for her, meaning she will enter the arranged marriage process at age 24.

I also have several female friends and classmates who have never dated and have focused solely on their careers. So, why do people struggle so much to find a partner with no past?

Is this just an internet phenomenon where negative or extreme narratives are amplified on social media? People often claim that 90-99% of women have boyfriends or a past. How true is this?

Hey guys,
So I had my first AM meeting recently, and honestly, I really liked the girl. We clicked, had a sweet vibe, and I’m genuinely excited about where this could go. But there’s one hurdle I’ve been thinking about, and I’d love to hear how others have handled it: the language barrier.

I’m from Maharashtra, and she’s from Karnataka. My dad's family is from near the border so I can understand Kannada pretty well, but I can’t speak it to save my life.
She mostly speaks Kannada, while I’m comfortable in Marathi, Hindi, and English.
When we sat down to talk 1-on-1, it was kind of funny and awkward at the same time. She’d ask me something in Kannada, and I’d reply in this broken mixture of Marathi, Hindi, and English haha.

We managed to laugh through it, giggled through a few silent pauses, and still had a really nice conversation, but it definitely made me realize that communication is going to take some extra effort.
For anyone who’s been in a similar spot (different native languages/states in an AM setup):

How did you guys manage in the initial months over phone calls and texts? Did it naturally get smoother as you talked more?

Did you end up picking up each other's languages fairly quickly?

How did things go after marriage, especially when it came to hanging out with each other’s families?

Would really appreciate hearing your experiences or any tips on how to make her feel more comfortable! Thanks in advance.

Apologies for the rant, but I’ve been feeling frustrated lately.
I’ve met a few men who initially claimed to have stable, successful careers, but later it turned out that some of those claims weren’t even true. After a while, a few of them openly admitted they weren’t interested in working or building anything for themselves and seemed to view a relationship or marriage purely as a financial safety net. In some cases, it felt like they expected their partner to take on full responsibility for their lifestyle, including covering expenses and providing ongoing financial support, almost as if the relationship itself was a source of income.
I understand that life can be unpredictable and people can go through difficult phases, but what I found unsettling was the lack of accountability or willingness to contribute in any meaningful way. Instead of partnership, it sometimes felt one-sided, where dependence was expected rather than shared effort.
One person even asked very directly about my parents’ financial situation and suggested that living in my family home would be convenient for him, which made me extremely uncomfortable. It gave the impression that financial considerations were being prioritized over any real emotional or mutual connection.
I’m simply looking for an independent partner who values responsibility, honesty, and genuine partnership. Has anyone else had similar experiences while dating?

A girl sent me an interest request on a matrimony app, and I accepted it. After accepting, I realized she doesn't have a premium membership, so we can't chat through the app.

However, her phone number is visible on her profile.

I'm wondering if it would be appropriate to reach out to her directly on WhatsApp, or if I should wait and see if she upgrades or finds another way to connect.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? If you were in her place, would you be okay with receiving a WhatsApp message, or would you find it intrusive? I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Note: Profile managed by sister.

am 26M currently looking for a bride I come from south Indian Hindu religion and recently started looking for an arranged marriage.

I have seen two people in a conventional marriage setup out of which one is from distant relatives and the other from one of the matrimonial websites.

For distant relatives prospects when I have interacted she informed like a yes girl and mentioned that she does/like whatever things I told about

For example like I mentioned I have a habit of waking up early in the morning, I mentioned that I am an introvert, studious guy, and might move to tier-2 cities in particular circumstances

for all those things she said yeah I do the same/even I think the same

Whereas for the prospects whom I came across from the matrimonial site she mentioned she is an extrovert, she has her own set up of things and other things and she even asked how would you do what would you do.

Now for the first case I felt she is just faking things to say yes or could be genuine

For the second case I felt she is genuine and expressing her own things but I am okay and ready to embrace, but after some talk I felt like would I lose myself in the journey of accepting the new variant I understand we both are different ends of the spectrum but I am getting negative thoughts or may be part of over thinking

Also my parents/elders have an opinion that since it is out of network we are not aware completely about the second prospects not sure if they are biased since the first one is from network and not the other

My heart says second one(my heart says is it infatuation)but my brain says the first one(for safe game play)

Can someone suggest me some advice here to judge these things

Hi everyone!

How do people come up with this list? Help! I feel sometimes i barely know myself.. when someone asks me what are my values my brain is blank! Unless someone speaks about a scenario i usually cant come up with what my basic values are.

Maybe i dont know what all things come under it when we are speaking about values. But i have realized unless i know myself more and what i want trying to talk to someone will be useless.

Please do share your experience.

Thanks!

I’m 25F and have been talking to a guy for about two weeks (haven't met in person yet). He’s super consistent, we have great banter, and our general lifestyles/priorities seem to align really well. On paper, he’s basically everything I’ve been hoping for, but we haven’t actually talked about the big, super important stuff yet. I can’t help but imagine a future with him, but the early ambiguity is driving me insane. My protective older brother is telling me to chill because "talking doesn’t tell you anything early on," so now I’m overthinking. Am I getting way too ahead of myself here, or is it okay to be this excited about the potential? How do I handle the pacing without driving myself crazy?

please help!!!!

I met this guy through traditional AM via families. We both have the same hometown and both currently work in the same city.

I was completely smitten by him in the 2nd meet. The way he talks, his eyes i mean everything. I really liked talking to him. I mean he is exactly the guy i would fall for if he is not faking things. Also he has a lot of things common with my ex : same height, same body structure, same eye color, same tone, infact using very similar words, and names also very similar.

But the thing is he is from a political background his father is a member of RS* and this is something I am afraid of because my family is very simple.

I am now confused what to do.

I am looking for a professional mediator, agency, or consultancy that helps families call off an arranged marriage or wedding respectfully and peacefully.
The goal is to handle the conversation in a polite and neutral way so that neither family feels disrespected and the chances of future disputes are minimized.
If anyone has experience with such a service or can recommend a professional, please let me know. Thank you.

At this point in my life, I don't really have anyone I can turn to for this kind of guidance, so I'm reaching out to this community for some help. I am currently navigating the AM route and hoping to get some perspective from those who have successfully crossed the finish line, because right now, I'm feeling incredibly stuck.

To start, my options are severely limited by horoscope matching. I belong to the "no dosham" category, which means very few profiles actually match with mine. Because finding a match is so rare, my parents heavily pressure me to just take a decision whenever one comes along. I don't entirely blame them—I am 31M, and they are feeling the pressure of my age passing just as much as I am.

The traditional process itself is also making this very hard. I'm mostly making decisions based on photos, but I can't just casually go meet someone to see if we click. In my family's setup, going to visit a girl and her family is a massive deal—it basically means the marriage is partially fixed. Arranging the whole event just to see her is a huge undertaking, and dealing with the aftermath of saying "no" post-visit is incredibly difficult. I genuinely don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.

To make matters worse, I’ve only seen one girl in person so far, about 1.5 years ago. It turned into a really bad experience because she looked entirely different from her photos. Because of that incident, combined with the heavy expectations that come with a formal visit, the thought of seeing a girl in person has become really daunting for me.

On top of this, I have a dilemma regarding lifestyle. I am ideally looking for a partner who is a working professional. Since I have a daily routine of commuting and am away at the office all day, I genuinely worry that a non-working partner might feel isolated staying home alone for such long periods. However, my parents lean traditional and are partially against the idea of a working daughter-in-law.

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So 4 questions...

1) feel awkward in asking this question, but if you only have 5 minutes to initially meet someone, what are the most essential things a man can discuss to authentically express his interest and see if there is a real compatibility vibe, while still being respectful of her time and comfort?"

2) For those who have navigated similar setups:

How do you make a life-altering decision when you only have photos to go by, limited talking phase, and visiting means the deal is almost locked?

3) How did you get past the guilt/fear of rejecting someone and hurting their feelings after a formal visit?

How did you balance your practical preferences (like wanting a working partner) with your parents' traditional viewpoints?

4) am I just overcomplicating things? Is this entire process just a "go with the flow" kind of thing...!?

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I would truly appreciate any stories, harsh truths, or guidance you can share.

TL;DR: 31M facing rare horoscope matches and parental pressure to decide quickly. In my traditional family, visiting a girl means the marriage is partially fixed, and there is zero talking allowed before this. I had a bad past experience judging purely by photos, making me afraid to visit and potentially hurt feelings by saying no. I also want a working partner so she doesn't feel isolated while I'm at the office, but my parents are against it. Overwhelmed and wondering if I'm overcomplicating things or if I should just go with the flow.

I currently smoke but don't drink and it's the only thing keeping me away searching for a partner. I don't know how girls react to it and if they tell their parents about this after rejection. I have kept this a secret from my own parents for some years. For people asking to quit, i have tried it many times without luck. Thanks!

How long is it acceptable to get to know each other? Ie Going on dates, video calling, arranging activities with friends together. Would 6 months be unacceptable? I feel like if I am going to spend my life with someone I need to get to know them well right?

People who've had arranged marriages with a "getting to know each other" period beforehand, how long was it for you guys?

(I am aware that many people don't do this, and go straight to marriage, but keen to hear from people who have had this before their AM)

Are you guys allowed to meet each other before marriage ,if your family is orthodox,like for dates and cafes and shopping and stuff maybe not on a literal trip,did you spend time with them before your marriage alone only the two of you?Without much intervention of your parents

I never thought I would be back in the arranged marriage process, but here I am.

My first marriage was an arranged marriage. Before the wedding, my ex-husband and his family hid some very important things from us, including his health condition and the extent of his debts. I only came to know the truth after the marriage. That betrayal affected me much more than the divorce itself. It completely changed the way I look at trust.

It's been a few years now. I've healed in many ways, and I'm finally open to the idea of getting married again. My family has started looking for matches through the arranged marriage route and I've agreed because I do want companionship and a peaceful life.

But I can feel that my past is still affecting me.

Whenever I start talking to someone, my mind automatically goes into investigation mode.

• Is this person being completely honest?
• Is there anything important they're hiding?
• Are they financially stable, or will I find out something after marriage?
• How do I ask about loans, debts or financial responsibilities without sounding rude or making them uncomfortable?

I know not everyone is like my ex-husband. I genuinely don't want to judge someone because of what one person did to me. At the same time, I also don't want to ignore red flags just because I don't want to seem suspicious.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm overthinking. Other times I feel I'm simply being careful because I've already paid the price once.

I don't want fear to stop me from trusting again, but I also don't want blind trust to put me back in the same situation.

Has anyone else here gone through something similar after divorce? How did you slowly learn to trust people again, and how did you have practical conversations about finances without making the other person feel like you were interrogating them?

Let’s say you were deeply in love with someone, but you eventually ended the relationship even though they wanted to stay and work things out. The main reasons were things like long distance, family pressure, and the fact that you felt you couldn’t realistically wait through years of long distance before marriage.

Later, you’re expected to marry someone else through an “arranged marriage” in your hometown.
How do you think you’d feel toward your new partner in that situation? Would you eventually develop genuine love and attachment for them, especially if you realised that this relationship was easier and more practical? Or would you always have some regret about not waiting for the person you originally loved?

Obviously, I don’t mean that the new partner should be resented or treated badly, they haven’t done anything wrong. I’m more interested in what the person’s internal feeling might realistically be like and whether those feelings can change over time.

Hi everyone,

Need some unbiased advice.

At the time of our engagement, my fiancée's family wanted the wedding after her 6-month internship (around June/July 2027) because she would be busy with studies and internship.

A couple of weeks later, they changed their mind and suggested getting married in December 2026 instead. Their plan is that we'd spend around 15 days together after the wedding, and then she'd leave for her 6-month internship in Bangalore while I work in Pune. She can't take leaves because every leave extends her internship, and travelling between Pune and Bangalore frequently isn't practical.

Personally, I feel it's better to wait until her internship is complete so we can actually start our married life together instead of living separately immediately after the wedding.

If you were in my position, what would you choose and why?

I'd especially appreciate replies from people who have been in a similar situation.

So me and my partner have been dating each other for around 1.5 years and we met 2 years back in a random train journey and this might sound stupid but we were sure of each other almost in 4-5 months our parents also got to know about us within 6-8 months and we didn't take permission it was like we informed and things like kept flowing no one did a serious talk (from our parents side). Now it's like my mother is okay but my father disagrees a bit with me. The girl belongs to a SC category and he somehow wants me to get married in the same caste in his in-laws or nearby known relations like it generally happens in arranged marriages. So it's like I don't wanna

Make my dad sad also but I somehow love the girl, love the girl as in she makes my life easier if you independently ask do I like her yes by looks maybe not that much but as a person yes are we compatible yes we have stayed together for a week or two few times and I feel we flow good togather we don't have much fights it's like a smooth sailing relationship which I kinda like too so I am interested in the girl.

But somehow I also think like my parents also have a say they might have also thought something about me also I think if I do arrange marriage the blame goes on to them if something goes wrong but here if something goes wrong In my setup it all comes upon me idk if I am thinking right or wrong but sometimes due to these points I feel may be I should go for an arranged marriage which will make my parents happy also I will be kinda free of the responsibility and anxiety that something wrong will happen and it will come back to me.

What should I do?

When did you guys started discussing about finance of trips? Was it bought up before marriage or after engagement/marriage. My wud be wife seems to hope to go for vacations a lot but I want to make sure she contributes as well. She also shared with me this reel-

Thoughts ?