A love marriage, as opposed to an arranged marriage, is one that is wholly driven by the couple, with or without the agreement of their parents. While there is no universally accepted definition of love marriage, it was widely practiced throughout the Victorian era and is still practised in the Commonwealth countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, as well as Nepal and Egypt. According to Coontz, Anglo-Saxon marriages were arranged to establish peace and trade links. Marriages were arranged in the 11th century in order to secure economic benefits or political relations. The spouses’ wishes were seen as unimportant. The bride, in particular, was expected to follow her father’s desires. In the Victoria era, when love marriages were on the rise, the 1840 marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert made love marriage more acceptable in the eyes of the British people.
In her 2005 book Marriage, A History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage, American historian Stephanie Coontz attempted to document the history of love marriages. Marriages based on love and personal vows began to emerge as early as the 14th century, according to her book, and truly began to bloom in the 1700s. In the 1970s, love weddings became increasingly prevalent in India’s cities. Love marriages took place between acceptable communities at first. Ethnic, community, and religious boundaries are no longer common in love marriages.
