10 Old Wedding Traditions You Didn't Know Existed

The bride's father was the sole benefactor.

In bygone days, the father of the bride was expected to perform his duty and shoulder the burden of funding the wedding. This practice stemmed from the ancient concept of the wedding dowry, in which the family of the bride would essentially pay the husband-to-be a sum of money as a sort of thanks for being willing to marry their daughter. (Though in certain extreme cases, like if the husband divorced or abused his wife, the dowry was meant to be restored to her.) While how each couple decides to handle the finances of their wedding varies on a case-by-case basis today, the notion that the bride's family will unquestionably foot the bill has dissolved in the wake of modern society's advances, thankfully.