We had a wedding ceremony last evening where both the bride and the groom are related to us. This is a typical situation in Kerala catholic families even though the size of the community is not small.
The reason why everyone in the family has a connection to everyone in the family of a similar standing and background, is the arranged marriage culture.
The youngsters are well educated, studying in great institutions across the globe, and still they are comfortable with arranged marriages.
The only reason that I can think of is probably that a matchmaking happens much earlier with the families identifying the match and encouraging interaction with each other for the identified victims.
I know, I am rude in saying victims because one gets amazed at the happiness of the couple at the church and during receptions.
This is a deviation from the earlier times when it was customary for the bride to cry as they are to leave the parents for some unknown guy. I am sure those were not the fake tears.
But now we find the newly married couple the most active and vibrant.
The good thing about this arrangement is that the post marriage assimilation of the families are smooth and welcome.
Someone mentioned that yesterday’s was a blue blood wedding, a term which infers that the forefathers of the families were baptised by St.Thomas in AD 52.
Then there are any number of blue blood and one could wonder how the apostle could handle so many.
But for the time being, it’s good to say that my family also belong to the exclusive group. After all there’s a claim that the researchers from my family Vellukunnel and a Namboothiri bramin family of Vellur illam met in the finding that a section of the illam got baptised by Thoma in 52 and settled down in the place where we are now.
It’s like the British and the French meeting under sea building the Eurotunnel.
Incidentally St Peter took two more years to build the church in Rome in 54!!!
Kurian 
My brother had an arranged marriage in April. “Post marriage assimilation” as you put it sums it up perfectly š the families already know each other, with tons of mutual friends, and the living culture is similar.
I couldn’t quite comprehend arranged marriages until one happened in my own family!
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By the way there’s a clear 6 months usually between the fixing ceremony and actual wedding. Enough time to fall in love absolutely and courtship encouraged by both families
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Of course š My brother and sister-in-law got 10 months to build/break the relationship. I was skeptical at first but it turned out beautifully š
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God bless the couple
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While I don’t really understand arranged marriage, I certainly trusted my family and friends when I agreed to marry my husband. I would never ignore what they could see if I was blinded by love.
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It’s almost that, and the difference may be in the parents and relatives spot possible match and agree among themselves before the girl and boy are told about the plot.
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