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Words and phrases that can be associated with wedding customs in the United States are the answers in this word game. Find and circle the answers that run diagonally, horizontally, and vertically throughout the puzzle grid.
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The old custom of a wedding dowry, still practiced in some countries today, was originally set up to get the young couple off to a good start with a bit of economic security and to provide a bit of life insurance for the new bride, in the event of the groom's premature death.
The difference between the dowry and bride price is a dowry is money, real property, and/or goods provided by the family of the bride and given to the newly wedded couple. A bride price, on the other hand is money, real proper, and/or goods provided by the family of the groom, which is given to the bride's family, and is generally then not the property of the newlyweds.
In olden days, the substance of the dowry was predetermined by the parents of the betrothed couple, and should the payment of dowry fail to take place, oftentimes the wedding would be called off and another marriage arrangement, with different participants, of course, then would be undertaken.
The word dowry derives from dower. A dower is a widow's life share of her husband's estate. In past times, the dower was generally established early in the marriage, and set aside not to be used or spent by the husband, but retained solely as "life insurance".
The word "dowry" itself derives from Old French dowarie, from the Latin dotare meaning "endow".
In modern Western society, a prenuptial agreement is much more common than a dowry or bride price. Prenuptial agreements vary widely from couple to couple, but the general gist is: whatever you can with is all you can leave with; quite a change from olden days.
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