In today's society it is common to find married couples openly sharing their love for one another. It is not hard to point out married couples from the rest of society. Often you will see a man and woman with children. Not always does this mean they are married but it almost always holds true. There are also many other ways to tell if people are engaged or married. The most obvious way to tell if someone is married is by the wedding band they wear on the ring finger of their left hand. This is where you can also find a woman's engagement ring. To be married in America is something people expect to see happen during someone's lifetime. In America we focus on marriage as a part of life. There are shows on TV specifically programmed on other people's marriages. For instance "A Wedding Story" on TLC. Thousands of businesses thrive off of marriage, from tuxedo stores, wedding dress stores, photographers, DJ's, reception halls and the list goes on. People have the right to choose how the want their weddings to go, and how they want to marry. We also have the ability to end marriages by getting divorces. But we as a society also have cultural differences within. Some people do not have the luxury to choose their mates at all, or the ability to plan their weddings. Such cases are called arranged marriages.
             An arranged marriage is when family members choose marriage partners for the members. In some cases the one get married has no say. Sometimes the agreements can be made prior to one's marriageable age. Arranged marriages are nothing new and have been going on in different cultures since biblical times. Arranged marriages can also be defined as betrothal. According to the Encarta Encyclopedia, Betrothal is the engagement or formal agreement to marry, which may take the form of a verbal promise or a written contract between two individuals ("Betrothal," Microsoft® Encarta®...