Weddings have not always been the romantic fairy tales we imagine today, but instead, were the outcome of a series of intense negotiations and financial discussions. The contemporary marriage, in contrast, is arranged solely at the discretion of the bride and groom and is always about love-never money. But despite all of the changes the opinion of marriage and weddings have undergone, the primary rules surrounding who pays for the wedding still has its roots in the weddings of the past.
Starting in antique times and ending sometime in the late nineteenth century, female children were thought about a burden to the household. Enterprising parents married off their daughters as soon as potential so they would have one less someone to feed, clothe and protection in the household. Marriage matches were generally made as firm transactions. A prospective groom was offered cash, land, livestock and other necessities to make the acceptance of the bride worthwhile. These dowries (as they were called) ranged in value depending upon the wealth of the house and the worth of the groom. Social conventions located all of the price on the bride's house since the bride would now come to be a drain on the groom's finances.
As Social mores shifted and weddings came to be based on matches of love rather than money, the dowry faded in importance. Brides were still incredible to supply a trousseau, which generally consisted of sufficient clothing to last her for one year, as well as all of the bedding, towels, sheets and other soft goods needed to keep house for a lifetime. Compared to the dowry, the trousseau was a much smaller burden for the bride's house to bear, but it still was a critical expense.
Eventually, the trousseau fell out of fashion when industrialization made the buy of most of the trousseau items affordable and easy. Industrialization also played a part in entertaining the wedding out the bride's home and into larger venues. Industrial goods and services sprung up rapidly, and wedding items often made or ready by the bride's house such as cakes, dresses, and floral arrangements were affordable and easily available to purchase. With nothing left to make the bride's families began to pay vendors for wedding services.
Today, the bride's house pays for most of the primary wedding. The cost of the ceremony, reception, photographer, florist, baker, stationer and the bride's attire, are all absorbed by the bride's family. The groom's house pays for the officiant, the bride's bouquet, flowers for the groom's family, and the practice dinner.
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