Do the Amish have arranged marriages?

Answer 1

No. In fact parents play a very small role in their childs choice of a marriage partner.

When an Old Order Amish adolescent reaches the age of 16 they enter a period called rumspringa where they will typically enter a "peer group." Groups are not formed by adults but are often defined simply by their level of deviation from the norm. In my area (the 3rd largest Amish settlement in America) they have even named the groups. One is very wild, experiments with liquior and drugs and drive cars. Another group drives cars and dresses in modern clothes. Another group does not drive cars and maintains more traditional dress. The latter group participates in what are called home singings.

From their peer group the Amish teen will often select a spouse. The boy and girl make the decision together and then inform the parents of their decision. It is kept a secret, although many others have discovered it by this point, until it is publicly "published" about 8 weeks before the wedding.

While parents may instill in their children certain values or hold certain families in high esteem, both of which may influence their selection of a peer group or spouse, the parents themselves have little if any role in the the selection of a childs spouse.