Mail Order Marriage was present even before the internet made online dating popular.
The concept of such a marriage is that people who want to have a shot at experiencing marriage with a foreign partner will make themselves available by posting ads about them in newspapers or other forms of media.
During the early 1600s, the reason Mail Order Brides were important was that there was a dire need for women to sustain society. This was what happened when the British sailed to the New World in North America.
An example of this is when a group of British men established a colony in Jamestown, Virginia. Once they arrived, they quickly realized that in order for their settlement to thrive, they needed women. The number of women who came with them in their search for prosperity in the West was close to none.
They needed to find a way to sustain the society they have established, or else it would all be for nothing. This was during the onset of the gold rush that hit the Americas, and since finding gold required manual labor, the majority of those who went on the voyage were men.
That was when they came up with the idea to advertise themselves to women from distant places. They would write letters or make ads, inviting single women from around the world to join them, and in exchange, they are promised a secure future.
Surprisingly, many women answered their call in hopes of finding a better future, and that was the beginning of mail order brides.
As time passed, this system of marriage evolved with technology. When the internet became mainstream, even women put up ads on dating sites, seeking foreign men for marriage.
In the more modern form of mail order marriage, an international marriage agency is responsible for making two parties, a man and woman, find each other. This is done in the form of dating sites.
Hundreds and even thousands of users sign up on these sites in hopes of finding a perfect match.
With the worldwide reach of the internet, online dating has become more and more accessible to everyone, paving the way for long distance relationships that eventually lead to marriage.
Being able to find a wife online for free has become as easy as a click of a button.
The disadvantages, however, of mail order marriage is that you never know the background of the person you are dating, or eventually planning to marry. This creates risks, especially for women who are flown into a foreign land to marry the man they just met on the internet.
In the past, cases of abuse, and worse, torture and murder have been reported as the result of mail order marriage.
Basically, what happens is that predators, or serial criminals who have a history of abusing women find their target via marriage agencies. Once the unsuspecting foreign bride who was only hoping to find a better future enters the man’s territory, she will then experience all sorts of abuse, be it physical or emotional.
Because of this, the US government tightened its grip on international marriage and put in place the provisions of IMBRA. This allows marriage agencies to know the background of both parties before they are allowed to meet each other.
Furthermore, all personal details that are submitted to the marriage agency will remain private and confidential.
So how do dating sites work?
In a society where dating is an essential part of marriage, it cannot be denied that men would want to have a wider choice of women to date.
Essentially, the dating stage allows men to get to know the women that they are hoping to spend the rest of their lives with.
With the help of dating sites, men can sign up for an account and virtually gain access to women’s profiles even when they are halfway across the world. Dating sites essentially offer two main services:
Online dating allows users to interact with one another via chat, telephone, or other forms of communication that are offered by the international dating agency. This gives men a chance to talk to the women they are interested in. In addition, they are able to choose the women they want to meet by simply looking at their profile.
A dating site profile consists of a profile name, profile picture, bio/description, and other personal details. This helps men choose their perfect match.
The limitation to online dating is that it is generally what it is – online dating – nothing more, and nothing less.
This means that you are only able to have virtual dates with them and you are not able to see them physically, which brings us to the next service that dating sites offer.
Tours are the highlight service of any dating agency.
Depending on the agency you join, the option to join social tours should be available to you as a member. This allows you to join and travel to your country of choice and meet hundreds of beautiful women in a social event that usually lasts for a couple of days.
During the event, men will have a chance to mingle with the women who also joined. To ensure the safety of both the women and men, the organizers – which is the marriage agency – personally interview the women and perform background checks on both the men and women.
Dates are also part of the agency's itinerary.
Men who join the tour can choose a woman, or a group of women whom they would like to go on a date with.
What’s more is that you won’t be taken to a normal dinner date, but rather, you will be on a date-tour across the country, visiting tourist destinations and other popular vacation spots.
Once the tours are done, you can either propose to the woman you have chosen and make plans to fly her back home, or you have the option to not choose anyone and join another tour to hopefully find what you are looking for.
Despite being the 11th largest economy in the world, some Russian women still find it easier to improve their financial situation by marrying foreign men. Because of this, mail order marriage became a trend in some Russian cities.
What makes Russian brides highly sought-after by men is the fact that they are one of the most beautiful women in the world.
They have a distinct Russian beauty that captivates most foreign men, and not to mention, Russian women are very intelligent and fun-loving.
In Russian culture where women are expected to marry before their 30s, the increasing cases of women not being able to marry has paved the way for many to find alternatives such as marrying foreign men, and online dating has made this a lot easier for them.
Asia is a vast continent. Within it, diverse cultures were formed, mixed, and molded to suit the different ethnicities in the region. But despite the obvious differences, Asia has also learned to adapt to the idea of mail order marriage.
The concept and trend of marrying foreign men mostly started after the many wars that hit the continent. Because of these events, foreign men were forced to stay in Asia for long periods of time, making it possible for local women to mingle and interact with them.
This made the women realize that having a relationship with foreign men is not all that bad, despite the big difference in culture.
Due to the state of the economy in most of Asia, women have decided to put themselves up for mail order marriage. With this, they are hopeful that their financial and economic status will improve. This is true in some of the continent’s poverty-stricken countries, though not all.
The advantages of marrying Asian women include:
Asian women have a unique beauty that you can find nowhere else. Their petite physique and stature adds to the delight of foreign men. Their cute eyes and noses are the stuff of every man’s dreams.
It is well within the culture of Asia that family is to be considered the most important core unit of society.
As such, Asian families usually have a very tight bond, some to the extent of creating large family groups that include extended family members.
Once you marry an Asian woman, you can be sure that she will love you as much as she loves her family, and you’ll never find someone more loyal than an Asian woman.
Growing up, Asian women are taught to do most of the household chores.
This upbringing has molded hard working women who are not afraid to do what a woman is expected to do at home. Even when a family has a house helper, you’ll find that Asian women are more than happy to do some of the chores themselves.
Despite not having the best quality of education, Asian women are well educated as opposed to what others may think. Once they get comfortable with you, you’ll be surprised at how natural and genuine they are with carrying a conversation – and in English!
If you are into exotic beauty and a physique that is to die for, then Latinas are what you are looking for.
Latin women are known to have the perfect form. They naturally have a fit figure even when they are not very health-conscious.
Like many countries, mail order marriage in the Latin Americas became an outlet to escape an economy that has failed to meet the expectations of the people. In slower developing areas, this system of marriage has helped many Latinas alleviate their financial suffering.
Aside from financial reasons, Latin women seek foreign men when they can’t find what they are looking for at home. Latin men are not known to be as romantic as Western men, and so, it’s not surprising to know that these women would prefer to date foreign men instead.
In this day and age where online dating has become more accessible to everyone, mail order marriage is no longer as unfamiliar as it was in the past.
It is now common to see interracial couples walking in the streets or enjoying a meal in a restaurant.
Despite all the hype that has highlighted the online dating industry, it is still up to you to choose whether you want to try it out or remain where you feel most comfortable. But no matter what you choose, it’s a given fact that online dating and mail order marriage are here to stay.
After all, the number of successful marriages that have been brought about by this kind of platform is proof enough that it is doing a pretty good job.
At the end of the day, it is you who decides your future.
So to answer the question: Yes, they in fact, STILL exist.