Planned Marriage

My cousin is getting married. She is my first cousin's brother-in-law's sister's 2nd cousin but you know how it works - if you know them & you have some common relatives, they become your cousins. She is having an arranged marriage. I think everybody knows how arranged marriages work these days. At least most of the arranged marriages. The parents fix you up. You chat over the phone, meet a couple of times, talk about likes & dislikes and then you get married. Basically, you date with your parents' permission.

But, you know, love marriage sounds too cool. If she told everyone that she was having an arranged marriage, people would think she was getting married to a complete stranger or so she thinks. The girl and the boy seeing each other for the first time at their own wedding is passe (in 99% of the cases). But tell that to my cousin.

So she tells everyone she is having a "love cum arranged" marriage. She emails all of us and talks about how they had stealthily exchanged looks when he had come home to see her and how they held hands and enjoyed the sweet sounds of the birds chirping, autos honking, kids burping etc. The intention of the email is to tell one and all that they know each other so well and are having fun as "dating" couple. I am sure she is not alone. I wish all such couples the best this world can give. But please face it, you are having an arranged marriage. The more you try to conceal that, the more you look like a "wannabe". I know you get a kick when you refer to your fiance as your hubby. Its all part of that dreamy phase but please be careful when you pick your audience. Not everybody thinks that is cho chweet.

That being said, you and your fiance are sweet and Good Luck to both of you.

P.S - Its not you, its the economy