Matchmaking
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Matchmaking is the process of pairing two or more people together, usually for the purpose of marriage, in which case the intermediary or matchmaker is also known as a marriage broker. Matchmaking may
Gerard van Honthorst, The Match-Maker (1625)
Traditional matchmaking is a usual folk program in Russian museums.
Matchmakers sitting on either side of the bride and groom in this Japanese wedding photo
Arranged marriage
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An arranged marriage is a marriage where the spouses are selected by a third party. The third party is most commonly the spouses' parents, possibly with the aid of a marriage broker.
Matchmaking
…to be essential advisors and also helped in finding right spouses as they had links and a relation of good faith with the families. In cultures where arranged marriages were the rule, the astrologer used stars to sanctify matches that both parents approved of. Tarot divination has also been employed by some matchmakers…
"Marriage à-la-mode" by William Hogarth: a satire on arranged marriages and prediction of ensuing disaster
In 1770, Empress Maria Theresa sent 14-year-old Maria Antonia to France to marry Louis-Auguste
The arranged marriage in 1697, of Marie Adélaïde of Savoy, age 12 to Louis, Duke of Burgundy, heir apparent to the throne of France, as a result of the Treaty of Turin (1696). The marriage created an alliance between Louis XIV of France and the Duke of Savoy.