Love/Marriage and Astrology and matching horoscopes for wedding

I want to know what is the co-relation between the strategies suggested by you, i.e. the phenomena of life-response (as regards to finding the right partner) and astrology (Indian Vedic astrology)? What role does one's past karma play in getting a life patrner?  I am particularly intrigued as astrologically speaking I should have been in a relationship about 4 years ago, and several predictions in this regard have not come to pass. E.g. I would be in a relationship by Sept 2009, but come to think of it, I haven't yet found the man and this prediction too seemed to be doomed!! And now, according to astrology I have crossed my time of marriage.  This gloomy scenario scares me but I still refuse to give up hope.  But I want to know the co-relation between the methods you propose and Indian astrology?   The methods you propose give me hope but astrologers predict gloom?  And other question is - In India it is a common practice to match horoscopes before marriage.  How right is this tradition?  What happens if one's horoscope is not matched.  Astrologers predict doom in such cases specially if a certain planet (I think Mars) is not rightly placed.  Is it so?