A match made right here...

Traditional methods of match-making are being replaced by contemporary marriage bureaus that promise to find ‘the one’ for everyone

Marriage is a happy occasion in one’s life. It’s an occasion that marks the union of two hearts. With dreams in their eyes, and hopes in their hearts, the bride and the groom take their wedding vows. But, finding that ‘perfect’ match to share your life with is easier said than done. Especially now, when the traditional system of finding the match through family connections has almost faded. No longer do elder uncles and aunts of the family suggest matches. Nor do ‘neighbourhood matchmakers’ (or ‘marriage brokers’, as they are popularly known). The times, they are definitely a-changing. The onus is now on those who wish to wed to find the right partner. A partner who convinces them that the match was made in heaven. While some are lucky enough to find such matches easily, the rest have to make a real effort to identify their partners. In such a scenario were matrimonial or dating sites introduced. However, the main drawbacks of such sites are that they do not facilitate a real-life meeting, and the profiles of the people who create an account in such sites are, most of the times, either exaggerated or fake. Feeling the pulse of the marriage market, and in an effort to make life easy for those looking for the ‘right’ partners have stepped in marriage bureaus who offer services that go beyond just suggesting suitable matches from their database.

One such marriage bureau is Be-Blessed Matrimony, in Mumbai, which is almost six years old... “We aren’t the usual marriage bureau types. Not only are we unique, but exclusive, too,” says Smita Malhotra of Be-Blessed Matrimony.

“We conduct a thorough investigation by personally visiting the homes of the suitors, spending a couple of hours with the family, talking to their friends, checking their social media contacts etc. In addition are evenings spent personally interacting with the boy and the girl separately, for hours, to know their preferences, aspirations, food choices, life goals etc. In short, I put in my best effort to find a true friend for him or her,” she adds.

And, in our namma Bengaluru is Floh, a seven-year-old online wedding portal. Siddharth Mangharam, co-founder of Floh, says, “Ours isn’t a marriage bureau, at least not in the traditional sense. Since we are a pay-to-use service, the seriousness of intent is established upfront. We interview our prospective clients to establish their credentials before allowing them presence on our platform. Second, we host a series of events for members so that they can interact with each other. We also involve them in fun-filled activities like dancing, cooking, wine tasting soirees, sailing, rock climbing and so on.”

Though Floh meets its members at these events and interacts with them, at Be-Blessed the interaction is on a personal level where Smita even counsels the prospective bride and groom and tells them which alliance is suitable for them, and why.

As matrimonial portals flourish with hardly any human interaction, the need for that personal touch has become paramount. “This kind of personal interaction was unheard of earlier when newspapers of repute too carried matrimonial advertisements on their Sunday pages,’’ says Parthip Thyagarajan, CEO of WeddingSutra.com, a one-stop portal that carries information on all the services associated with a wedding ceremony.

These sure are positive steps that go a long way in assisting the millennials find their perfect partners. What say you?