For some of my friends in the US, finding a nice person to date is difficult. An arranged marriage means 1.) they are recommended to a suitor and more likely to be taken seriously, 2) the suitor is recommended to them, so they are less likely to be a waste of time, and 3) someone else is also at least a little invested in the relationship. Given the above, and that the actual people involved still have to consent for the relationship to progress, an arranged marriage actually makes a lot of sense.
It's kind of like a dating app (which also recommends a match), but if the algorithm was human and actually worked to your benefit instead of to make money.
I think the answer to this question changes based on your interpretation of 'falling faster'. I.e. whether that refers to the total time between the start and end of the fall or to the speed of the feather/ball to an outside observer.