Our Arranged Marriage Worked
By: Joan Wangari
Posted on Monday, August 10, 2020
An arranged marriage in this day and age is an alien concept to most people though they are something our fore fathers were accustomed to. Due to the conservative nature and lack of exposure back in the day, arranged marriages were a norm.
Most people prefer going on dates and knowing each other before they can finally decide to tie the knot. An arranged marriage would then mean that you are getting married to someone you may even not like. These types of marriages happen for different reasons. For some it is to maintain their family relations, while others it is just traditions.
For Solomon and Liz Ocampo who have been married for six years it was the former, both their families had been friends for years. Solomon is a filipino , while Liz a Kenyan. Even though their families had known each other for years, the two had never met. They shared the story of how their mothers orchestrated their marriage on Full Circle with Joyce.
Liz was introduced to Solomon during a family vacation in the Philippines and during their farewell party, she got betrothed to Solomon. While most people come back with souvenirs from vacations, Liz came back with a fiancé. This meant that she had to break up with her boyfriend because being a pastor she did not want to end up in complicated situations.
After a few months, Liz had to break off their engagement since Solomon did not pursue her and she felt her time was being wasted. Went back into the dating scene but she could not find a man that met her spiritual needs, standards of purity or matched up to her values. A disturbed Liz prayed to God for direction and God led her back to the Ocampos and their high standards of purity. She unblocked Solomon and that is where their journey to marriage officially began.
They planned and had their wedding within a very short time and while other couples go for honeymoons theirs was a family vacation with both their parents. For them dating and courtship began post their wedding. They reveal that the arranged marriage helped them deal with each other because they never began with emotions. They both agree that though they were not each other’s type they have grown to love each other. The commitment to make their relationship work, began with meaning their vows.
Their advice to the young people is not to focus on the superficial list but focus on the values that they both hold and the things that matter.
