So herein lies one of those tales, and possibly one of the most inspirational tales of love I've come across. Lana, a Jew from Russia, married Charles, who is Christian, Lebanese. During the nine years they've been together, they've had their hardships, ups and downs, but have proved the naysayers wrong and shown the world that true love really does conquer all.

Weird, considering the stats on interracial relationships are so high. It's increased from 2.4 per cent of the population in the US in 2000, to 6.7 per cent in 2010. The Australian stats aren't released, but the countries of birth are... see the link here .

"Someone once said to me, 'Do you love Charles more than you love your religion?' This question stayed with me all throughout the early days of us dating when it was all fun and games; when my boyfriend was the bachelor who played hard to get games and when I was pretty much living my life in the moment. All I knew was that when I was with Charles, he felt like home. Like my own kin, if that makes sense. That's the feeling that can't be 'turned on' - if it isn't there, it isn't there.

"When Charles and I decided to get married, we both knew we didn't want a big hoopla of a wedding - we wanted something that we would both enjoy rather than trying to please our families, so we eloped. Just us two, to the Whitsundays, and we were married by a civil celebrant. We wrote our own vows and exchanged rings. This was the first time I saw Charles cry. His tears showed me the level of emotion he was feeling at that moment and I'm so glad that it was all for me - and me only.

"We discussed the question of how we would raise our children many times before we got married and we said we would do what feels right for us both and try to respect one another. One thing we want our one-year-old (and any other children we might have) to learn and practice is tolerance for his fellow human beings, regardless of their background. Just as I don't want our child to be judged in his life by his background, I don't want him judging others. So he will always know that he comes from two different backgrounds, but what unites our families are values that brought Charles and me together in the first place.

"We are extremely lucky that we never had any wrath/objections from either my or his family - about anything. There were never any scandals or ultimatums or pressures of any sort. Sure, we have had our share of arguments but we always manage to pull through and come out better for it.

"My advice to other couples who are contemplating an interfaith marriage - be prepared to compromise if you really love one another. Ask yourself how much you are willing to compromise, if at all, because you need to be honest with yourself first and foremost. Don't try to please everyone around you instead of doing what is right for you. After all, I believe it is possible to find a happy medium where the best of both worlds can be celebrated and respected. That is our little family's goal."