These marriages are rooted in royal and very well known families throughout the world, including Europe. In South Asia and the Middle East, arranged marriages are still quite common. The Unification Movement is another prominent group that practices the act of arranged marriages. Arranged marriage is not to be confused with forced marriages. In Indian and African cultures, arranged marriages are seen quite often. These marriages are most often decided on by parents or older members of the family. Arranged marriages can be chosen by parents, matchmaking services, or sites specializing in matrimonial matters. In quite a few communities, religious leaders or pastors along with relatives or close friends of the family have a major part in matchmaking decisions. The main thing that varies between arranged marriages is the aspects of the marriage and the length of time between when the couple meets and when they are married.

Some arranged marriages are known as introduction only marriages. In these marriages, the parents often introduce their son or daughter to a possible spouse. The parents often have a short conversation with the parents of the possible partner. There is no definite time period established for the marriage. After this initial meeting, it is left up to the children to maintain their relationship and make a decision about marriage. In some parts of North America, South America, and more so in India, this practice is still very common. Japan is another area where this practice is extremely common. Parents who participate in this open ended marriage have to have a great deal of confidence and courage. It is far different from a time specific arranged marriage.

There is another type of arranged marriage that is used more commonly in modern times. This is known as a modern arranged marriage. It is becoming more and more popular. In this type of marriage, parents will often choose a few possible marriage candidates or even employ the services of a marriage website. Parents will then set up meetings with the parents of prospective mates. This allows them to find the most appropriate suitors and those with the best intentions. There is much less pressure put on agreeing to the marriage right away then there is with more traditional arranged marriages. This often makes the process much less stressful.

In some cases, the son or daughter is allowed to choose their prospective mate instead of their parents or a matchmaking service. With these situations, the parents then have the choice to disagree with the match and forbid the couple from marrying or, just as often, approve the decision and allow their son or daughter to proceed with marriage. These types of marriages differ from love marriages due to the fact that courtship is shortened or nonexistent. Parents also continue to have the right to forbid any match that they do not see fit for their child.