Mail Order Bride Success Rates

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In recent years, thousands of young women have come to the USA by way of marriage to western men. There are a number of online dating services featuring young, beautiful women in search of Western counterparts.

On the basis of the information provided by mail order bride agencies, it is estimated that between 100,000 and 150,000 women from different countries annually register themselves. Out of these 4 percent of the women seeking U.S. husbands have found them.

The Philippines provides a large number of the Asian listings, in spite the fact that the mail-order bride system there has been illegal since 1986. In recent years, there has been an increase in listings due to the entry of agencies focusing on women of Russia and the former Soviet Union. In addition to Russian women, a lot of Ukrainian women are also featured. Some agencies report serving over 1,000 men every month that pay as much as $200 each.

A survey of a few agencies showed that they had 607 American men seeking mail-order brides and had received 206 responses. It is found that a large number of these men are generally white, highly educated, politically and conservative, and economically and professionally successful.

In one of the surveys, emails were sent to 102 mail order bride services to find out what percentage of their female clients married men from the U.S. Among these estimates, those listing predominately women from Russia and the former Soviet Union countries gave the highest figures of10 percent to 40 percent. Most of these estimates were for marriages to men from any country and not specifically the United States. There are a few mail order bride agencies that feature over 450 Russian women in their current listings. Each of them claims to have arranged, on average, 100 marriages (to date) between Russian women and American men.

According to a report, mail-order brides constitute 10 percent of the marriages between Filipinos and foreigners. Out of the women, around 10 percent have been successful in finding and marrying a man through the service. There are approximately 10,000 marriages every year between women listed by these agencies and men who use the services.

Mail Order Brides provides detailed information on Mail Order Brides, Russian Mail Order Brides, Latin Mail Order Brides, Asian Mail Order Brides and more. Mail Order Brides is affiliated with Online Russian Brides [http://www.i-RussianBrides.com].

The Cure for Bridezillas and Runaway Brides

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Wedding stress! No wonder we have bridezillas and runaway brides!

Remember this runaway bride?

Instead of a white veil, she wore a blanket over her head. Instead of her father escorting her down the church aisle in Duluth, Georgia, the Albuquerque police led her through the airport terminal. We've all seen the story about runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks. The 32 year-old flee-ancee as some are calling her, took extreme measures in an attempt to deal with a common problem of the engaged - getting cold feet. Now her cold feet have her in hot water.

I'm no psychologist & won't attempt an explanation of Wilbank's behavior. Maybe it was just the stress of it all. Getting married does score 50 on the Holmes-Rahe stress scale. That's half the amount of stress from the death of a loved one! So it was either run, or for others become a bridezilla. What could Jennifer Wilbanks have done, or for that matter what can any bride do in dealing with the stress of a wedding?

Here are a few ideas:

Talk to somebody about what's stressing you

Stress is normal and can come at the bride from many directions. She discovers that there are a zillion details to planning a wedding. She finds many helpful family & friends giving her contradictory advice on what to do. She feels the pressure to be happy all the time - after all this is her wedding & she is the center of attention. Many Southern brides face what is called "the Southern Cotillion Syndrome - the expectation of perfection.

Often brides & grooms are finishing a degree, buying a house, starting a new job, & getting married all within a few months span! So let it out! Talk to someone you can confide in: a friend, family member, a minister, or a licensed counselor.

Get good help in planning & conducting your wedding.

I've never known a bride to regret hiring a good wedding coordinator. That initial decision can make all the difference in either feeling that you survived your wedding or that you actually enjoyed it. An experienced coordinator can direct the bride to other quality people who will take much of the potential stress out of your wedding. Get the wrong people & they will cause more stress!

Take care of yourself.

To handle stress well you must be strong in mind and body. Mom is right. Eat your fruits & vegetables. And remember to exercise regularly and get enough sleep. All basic stuff that's easy to let slide because you're so busy. It's important to take breaks from planning your wedding. Go out to eat. Go to a movie. Go to the park. Don't go to Vegas on a Greyhound Bus!

Keep your perspective

Keep telling yourself what it's all about. You don't have to be perfect, and your wedding doesn't have to be perfect. Of course, you want things to go well. Do what you can to make your wedding the celebration you want it to be. But realize that some little something may not go just right. I'm not even sure that's it's a good idea to have a perfect wedding. After all, your marriage won't be perfect either. And guess what? If it was somebody else's wedding, they'd do something different from what you are doing. Good! When it's their wedding, let 'em have at it.

Remember: when it's all said and done, at the end of the day you'll be married and your adventure together begins. That's what it's all about.

Seek pre-marital counseling

It's amazing that many of the books & websites that claim to have comprehensive information for the wedding couple, have little or nothing about premarital counseling. Premarital counseling doesn't solve all your problems once and for all. Nor does it iron out all your differences. It can reduce the number of surprises once you're married.

A good counselor will help you see your strengths as a couple and that's a confidence builder. A good counselor will also help you look at your differences & teach you skills for working through them effectively. Again, a real confidence builder. Don't get so busy planning your wedding that you don't have time to plan your marriage.

There is a Free Multi-Media Online Marriage Preparation Course that you can do on your own. Even the guys love this marriage preparation course. You can use it in addition to other resources you are using or as stand-alone marriage preparation.

Keep these tips in mind and you can manage your wedding stress, and not have to worry about becoming a bridezilla or runaway bride.

The Sad But Momentous Day for the Father of the Bride!

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For the father of the bride, the wedding day is typically a day of mixed emotions. On one hand, there is pride and joy at the fact that his beloved daughter is getting married to someone she loves. At the same time, it is mixed with the sadness that comes with the realization that his daughter has grown up and is no longer daddy's little girl.

One of the most important things that the father of the bride does on the wedding day is to give away the bride. As per custom, once the congregation has been seated, the bride is escorted down the aisle by her father while the groom waits for them at the altar. This tradition is rich with emotional undertones. The father who has looked after his daughter is now symbolically handing over the care of his daughter to the new man in her life.

Of course, there are many who feel that this custom is no longer relevant today when most women have a career and are no longer under the care of their parents and are unlikely to be under the care of their husbands. On the flip side, the sight of the father of the bride escorting his daughter down the aisle to the uplifting notes of "Here comes the Bride" still resonates with many of us and captures the transition into marriage beautifully. Ultimately, whether this custom is included in the ceremony or not must be decided by the father of the bride and the bride herself.

Once the wedding ceremony is over, the father and mother of the bride leave for the reception venue. Since they are the hosts of the reception, it is important that they arrive there ahead of the guests so that they can welcome the guests as they come in. During the reception the father of the bride will be called on by the Best Man to make a speech and propose a toast. Once the reception is over, the father of the bride is expected to stay until the end of the party to help with any final bills or to make last-minute arrangements.

The level of involvement of the father of the bride in the wedding planning and preparation depends on the decision of the bride and groom and their parents. Sometimes the wedding is held in the house of the bride's parents - at such times, it is natural that the father of the bride ends up deeply involved in almost every step of the wedding preparation.

At other times, and especially if the wedding is being held far away from the bride's parental home, the involvement of the father of the bride in the wedding preparations may be minimal. However, keep in mind that most fathers would love to be involved in their daughter's weddings in some way or the other so do ask them for their help whenever it is needed.

Traditionally, the father of the bride also shoulders the cost of the reception. However, this trend is changing, partly due to the fact that both the bride and the groom are earning members and partly because of the rising costs of a reception party. The accepted practice nowadays is for the cost of the wedding and the reception to be jointly borne by the parents of the bride, the parents of the groom and the couple themselves. However, if the father of the bride offers to foot the bill, the gracious thing to do would be to accept the offer.

Whatever you as the couple choose regarding the costs of the whole event, remember the day is for celebration and significant day for the father of the bride. It is a day where he relinquishes his daughter to a another man and where the groom resumes the responsibility of caring for her. The father of the bride will be sad on one side but will know that his daughter will always be daddy's little girl no matter what.

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