Stereotype # 8 - All Pakistani’s Go for Arranged Marriages!

Here’s what the majority of non-Pakistani’s think about Pakistani weddings.

They are loud.
Involve uncountable relatives/guests/acquaintances/possibly anyone who can make it to the wedding.
The weddings are insanely expensive.
The guests are all dolled up.
The food is lavish.
The ceremonies are exhausting.

And lastly,

The bride and groom are seeing each other for the first time EVER.

Not true. Not all Pakistani marriages involve a beaming Rishta aunty gloating with pride over a match made in heaven. Unlike what the world thinks, Pakistanis do have a say in choosing their better half. Many people go through the whole process of getting to know each other before taking the next step and asking for the respective families to get onboard. No doubt that in order for marriages to succeed, or even happen, the prospective bride and groom have to convince the entire family including the extended never-before-seen relatives that marrying the love of their life is a good idea.

This part of the world is more attuned to arranged marriages; taking them as a guaranteed route to a happy, peaceful and successful married life. However, the Pakistani society is accepting of love marriages too. Matches are made in heaven and most elders, even if they disagree to the match, resign and give their consent eventually; calling it a matter of fate!

More and more people in Pakistan are exercising their right of choosing a life partner. While in the past, men were content in letting their mothers choose a bride for them, the trends have shifted. Pakistani men now need wives that they have mental compatibility with. The same goes for Pakistani women who have a much clearer idea in their heads about the traits of the person that they want to marry.

Things are not the same old traditional in the land of the pure ad a changing mindset is challenging the traditional norms that may seem too repressive for some.

Also, people no longer think that a marriage born out of love does not have the same success rate as a purely arranged one. Add to that, is another fact that may have been misunderstood by those exposed to stereotypes about Pakistan; even the Pakistani arranged marriages involve the consent of the bride and groom right from the beginning till the very end.

In conclusion,

Stereotype - All Pakistanis Go for Arranged Marriages. Status = BUSTED!