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SINGAPORE \u2013 Ms Zakkiethunnisa Ziawdeen\u00a0agreed to marry a man her parents chose for her after meeting him just once. <\/p>\n
Two weeks later, the 26-year-old public relations senior associate was engaged to Mr Basheer Ahamed Mohamed Azharudeen, a 31-year-old aircraft technician.<\/p>\n
After their engagement, the couple met no more than five times before their wedding in August 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing that tipped the scale for me was that he didn\u2019t say no to the things I said I needed to keep in my life after we married,\u201d Ms Zakkiethunnisa said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI told him I wanted to go out with my friends and to continue working. So I feel he\u2019s somebody I can work out any differences with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Growing up here, the Singaporean had expected to find a husband on her own, but that did not happen.<\/p>\n
The elder of two daughters, she had previously turned down her parents\u2019 offers to find her a match.\u00a0Her younger sister is still studying.<\/p>\n
But in 2024, she felt more \u201csettled\u201d after completing a degree in communications and sociology and working for two years. So she said yes to being matchmade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Mr Azharudeen, an aeronautical engineering graduate from India\u2019s Tamil Nadu state, moved to Singapore in 2018 for work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Arranged marriages are common in his home town and family: his elder brother and younger sister were matched with their spouses.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy parents know me very well, so I will leave the decision to them,\u201d he said of his choice of bride. \u201cThey will see the girl\u2019s qualities and know if she can take good care of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Within the Indian Muslim community, to which the couple belongs, marriages arranged by parents or families still take place in Singapore, though they are far less common than they were one or two generations ago. <\/p>\n
Marriage solemnisers and community leaders say the practice remains more prevalent among newer immigrants from India.<\/p>\n
The couple\u2019s first meeting at an Indian restaurant was a family affair.<\/p>\n
Mr Azharudeen arrived with his uncle\u2019s family, while Ms Zakkiethunnisa was accompanied by her parents and aunt. His parents, who live in India, joined via video call.<\/p>\n
After formal introductions, the pair were given some time alone to speak, during which they shared their expectations of marriage and what they hoped for in a spouse.<\/p>\n
Both said they wanted a practising Muslim and a family-oriented spouse who shares their priorities and values.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
They also had another first in common: neither had dated nor been matchmade before.<\/p>\n
Following their engagement, they met on their own for meals a handful of times before getting married in August 2025, about nine months after they first met.<\/p>\n
Their feelings have since grown, and their relationship has deepened as they got to know each other better.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a good kind of surprise,\u201d Ms Zakkiethunnisa said. \u201cI have the conviction that he\u2019s someone who can look after me, that he\u2019s invested in my well-being,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver time, I found that he\u2019s a bit more open-minded, and I also discovered his fun side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Married life has been good so far, said Mr Azharudeen, who appreciates his wife\u2019s calm nature and the way she looks after him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have confidence in each other,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The couple hope to have two children.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think arranged marriage is for everyone,\u201d Ms Zakkiethunnisa said. \u201cBut young people shouldn\u2019t be so quick to rule it out \u2013 you never know what you might find,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cFeelings can be temporary, but I think what makes it (marriage) work is that our priorities, values and expectations are aligned. I have a stronger conviction now that I made the right choice.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n