History of Mail Order Bride — From Tradition to Modern
What is the evolution of mail order brides? The formation of mail order brides phenomenon
Foreign brides in USA have a long history. In the past, looking for brides via ads was a typical thing as a necessity, desperation, alongside the relocations led to the search for meaningful relationships.
Today, the format shifted a bit to online dating sites where finding mail brides does not require anything but access to the Internet and a decent profile. No more need to travel and return home with nothing. This review can help acknowledge the short history of mail order overseas brides and their comparison to present times.
Before getting down to business, let’s take a look at modern dating sites with young and older brides whose goals are to marry foreign males:
Today, the format shifted a bit to online dating sites where finding mail brides does not require anything but access to the Internet and a decent profile. No more need to travel and return home with nothing. This review can help acknowledge the short history of mail order overseas brides and their comparison to present times.
Before getting down to business, let’s take a look at modern dating sites with young and older brides whose goals are to marry foreign males.
- SofiaDate – Ideal for starting international relationships with beautiful Slavic women for marriage.
- SakuraDate – Perfect for single males who want to find and date an Asian mail in wife.
- LatiDate – Best for overseas men who desire to chat with stunning Latinos online.
- LanaDate – A great option for foreign men who want to meet foreign ladies and chat with them online.
What is a Mail Order bride?
To define a mail order bride, one needs to acknowledge that she must be single, and her past experiences with males don’t matter anymore.
Now and then, a mail order bride is a single lady who lists herself in catalogs, aiming to find and marry a foreign partner.
Hundreds of years ago, males and females used newspaper ads as the initial way to connect to each other. Now, it has shifted to dating sites.
The Brief History of Order Brides Or How You Could Find a Bride via Ads
You already know what is a mail order bride but how about a short history of it? In the past, the main reasons for finding a partner went beyond the typical desire to feel love and care from another person.
As was described by Darcy Fornier:
“Women replied to ads for mail-order brides out of necessity rather than actual yearning for romance. Many women consent to marry international males to escape a hard life and immigrate to another country".
It all started in the 17th century, in the early colonial days, when male settlers returned to England, aiming to marry Native American women and leave the colony to enjoy married life with their new wives. In 1620, the Virginia Colony provided Jamestown with 140 brides of 18 to 21 years old. Those ladies had the right to choose who to marry instead of being pushed into marriage with a certain man.
In the mid-1600s, around 800 younger brides emigrated to New France (presently part of the United States and Canada). The government-sponsored these brides, also known as the King’s Daughters.
In the 1800s, many young males traveling west were looking for female companionship. They settled down in new lands having no one else to share them with. While some men wrote to their families for help and companionship, others advertised in newspapers searching for international brides. That time was the boom for mail bride catalogs. These catalogs encompassed photos and information about women looking for husbands. If a man liked a female's profile, he wrote a letter to her, and if she responded to his message, they would meet in person and later marry.
Looking for brides through advertisements took over not only the United States but also Australia, Canada, Cambodia, China, Japan, and Colombia. Males who placed ads in the newspaper highlighted their social status, height, and some interesting qualities. Most of them were looking for young girls, from 17 to 21.
Interestingly, mail-order brides have other titles. Some of them were referred to as “Jamestown brides”, “Casket girls”, and “King’s Daughters”. Later on, single ladies started to produce ads in newspapers on their own, most of them were immigrating to the United States or had the goal to relocate. The best way to do so was to marry an American.
Mail Order Brides in the 20th Century
The 20th century was a difficult time with the World War I and World War II uprisings.
Soldiers serving overseas fell in love with local women and were referred to mail-order bride agencies for help. They would help them match with international brides.
The initial 1945 Brides Act in the United States allowed thousands of European and Asian females to marry American soldiers and relocate to the U.S. This period started the tendency for real relationships to develop between servicemen and foreign women.
In the 1960s and 70s, lots of males were searching for wives from Asia. Special matchmaking agencies offered catalogs with single brides for relationships. Men would exchange letters with Asian girls, and later some of them evolved into new couples.
The Realities of International Marriages in the Past
On paper, marriage between foreigners brought lots of positivity because it was the main way to escape slum conditions, or simply to legally marry someone from another country. Yet, international married couples faced not only benefits but potential risks from such marriages.
Benefits
As was already described, in the past, the most common cause for marrying an overseas partner for women was escaping poverty and gaining social status. In many cases, it did end up in healthy stable relationships, especially between American men and Asian/European women.
Asian and Eastern European wives were the most popular subjects for marriage because they:
- were more interested in gender-based roles;
- had no problems with raising children while their spouses were working;
- could easily solve the conflicts instead of breaking up or divorcing their partners.
Risks
While some couples felt completely connected, others faced expected risks from international relationships. A man who would find a mail order bride could not imagine the long-distance and assimilation risks that followed.
In most situations, mail order brides work like this: couples meet and a woman relocates to another country getting a fresh start in life. Even though escaping poverty and slum conditions helped her regain peace, the issues did not end because other problems would pile up:
- Many brides felt extremely homesick, which led to conflicts within the couple.
- Couples had language barriers, which led to an even stronger sense of strangerhood.
- Women and their new husbands realized they were not completely matched for relationships. Either their views on relationships were too different, or cultural differences perpetuated conflicts.
- Many mail in brides faced poor development opportunities in a new country.
The couple would either break up or, in the worst case, continue “bearing relationships” as long as they had the strength to do so.
Internet Brides: The Modern Blossom of Overseas Relationships
The modern age has brought Internet brides – single females who create profiles on dating websites and are ready for serious relationships. The development of the Internet changed everything; instead of flipping through the catalog, you could easily access hundreds of profiles from across the globe.
Popular sites are equipped with detailed profiles of ladies from Asia, Latin America, and Europe. You can find a wife online by creating a profile and talking to her without traveling anywhere.
Modern sites also care about privacy and safety, which led to the production of ID verification – a special service helping you to avoid scammers and talk to real women. Even though romance scams are still a thing, many contemporary daters defeat their effects with easy tips.
Modern dating websites blossom not only for their efficacy and popularity in finding the best match, but they also become more affordable than other means of love seeking.
Here’s how it looks now:
- You join the liable website for free and create a detailed profile with fresh photos.
- You pay for communication with specific members, and when desired can stop it at any time you want.
- You match with ideal candidates based on your needs and preferences.
- You pay only for the interactions, and once the deeper connection occurs, turn it into a real date.
How Mail Order Brides Are Different Now?
Mail in brides business now is different in many ways. For starters, women in the present don’t search for love purely for “escaping poverty reasons”. Primarily, these single women are sincerely interested in matching with foreign males for cultural expansion rather than relocation.
Secondly, people get to know each other very well before getting on actual dates. This led to high-quality dating where you explore first and then get married with all the knowledge provided.
Facts and Stats:
- The majority of mail order brides come from the Philippines;
- Asia, in general, is the most popular region for international marriages, including K-1 visa recipients;
- Studies show that international marriages often evolve from online dating sites;
- Success rates on dating platforms are 85%
- The mail order brides industry has taken over the dating world for the past five years. It has become the fundamental way to find online brides easily and marry them.
Essentially, the mail brides industry is the only way to match with a person from a different part of the globe. Even if you live in an isolated area, as long as you’re connected to the Internet, you have access to single men and women from exclusive areas where people choose physical and emotional stability.
The Safety of Mail Order Sites
Are mail order brides legal? The short answer to this question is surely yes. However, to match with legal brides, it’s important to join the right platform. The list of reputable sites providing a high level of safety was arranged at the beginning of this article.
Additionally, people need to know how to stay safe online to avoid any catfishers or scammers.
In the 21st century, you can do the following things to protect yourself from dangerous situations online:
- Send messages to only verified members.
- Ask a woman for a video chat after two to three weeks of communication. If she always denies your request, she might be a catfisher.
- Check the reversed photos of profiles in Google to ensure they are real.
- Avoid sending any money or private financial information to other members.
Your successful dating story starts with a message. If something goes wrong, the liable support team on the site is always ready to assist you with all the suspicious members.
The Final Word
The history of mail order brides demonstrates to us that this business has vast experience. Yet, now compared to the past, people connect on dating sites for affection-seeking and partnership reasons rather than financial stability or social status.
If you want to find a wife in USA or any other country, join a trustworthy site today to meet a perfect partner. Unlike past experiences on bride’s catalogs, modern relationships via sites last longer because everyone online is ready for long-term relationships and, most importantly, desires to work on them prolifically.
Today, it's easier than ever to find love from anywhere in the world, safely and legally. So if you're not getting anywhere with local women, try international relationships and note that according to many studies, these marriages are happier and less likely to end in divorce than conventional marriages in the United States.
About the Creator
Victoria Lindgren
🌎 Born in Ohio, moved to São Paulo at 10 🇧🇷
✨ My love for travel ignited early
🌴 Explored Latin America’s vibrant soul
🌏 Immersed in global cultures, from Southeast Asia’s bustling markets to Scandinavia’s serene landscapes ❄️


Comments (1)
nice writing