An arranged marriage is a contract between families, not just between individuals. The girl's/boy's parents investigate the family background before initiating the talks between the elders in the families. They would like to ascertain that the each family is of the same class, is of comparable financial standing, is of good reputation among the elders, and as far as possible the family has no hereditary diseases.
v When either parents are satisfied are satisfied, a common friend who 4/may be a relative of the family is assigned the task of revealing this interest to the parents. The families employ careful considerations before this visit, chiefly the compatibility of the other family with theirs.

v A love marriage is a marriage arranged by the individuals themselves. In a love marriage the couple get to know each other without introduction from a third-party such as go-betweens, friends, or their parents, although an introduction by a common friend which later leads to marriage can still be considered as a (qualified) love match.

v Unlike in the arranged marriage, a love match includes a dating and a courtship period that precedes the proposal. During their dating period, if their affections grow the man and the woman invite each other to their homes and introduce their date to their parents an exact opposite of the arranged marriage introduction where the parents introduce the girl to the man.

v The basic difference between a love marriage and an arranged marriage is that, in a love marriage the boy and the girl have had sufficient time to get to know each other during the days of their courtship. In an arranged marriage since meetings between the boy and girl are not often, getting to know each other begins after the wedding.

v In view of this situation in case of love marriage, while affection begins at the time of their meetings, in the case of arranged marriages love and affection commences after marriage.

v In India, arranged marriages are still common and boys and girls continue to depend on their parents to find their suitable partners. However, today, in the urban side of India, once a partner has been decided, it has now become common practice to permit interaction between the prospective bride and groom.

v This has come a long way from even just 10-15 years ago, when the couple first spoke to each other only on their wedding day.