Bride's dowry: an old tradition with a new twist

Bride's dowry today

Whatever changes may occur, the tradition of collecting a dowry for the bride has undergone quite a few changes, but has not been completely forgotten.

As before, the volume and cost of collected items can vary greatly, depending on the financial capabilities of the future bride’s family. And often girls start an independent life and collect it themselves.

What is included in the dowry of a modern bride?

- Bed sheets. 2-3 sets of good natural fabric: satin, cambric, silk.

– Terry towels – bath and regular.

– Home textiles – tablecloths, napkins, curtains and drapes, bedspreads, blankets, carpets.

– Kitchen utensils: pots, pans, plates, frages, tea and coffee sets, glasses.

All these things must be new, of good quality, and of good quality. They gather for themselves, their beloved.

– All sorts of little things for furnishing a new home. Decor and interior items.

– Household appliances large and small.

As before, rich brides can be given an apartment or a car. Or the bride is a woman who has already established her career and has everything of her own.

In the bride's ransom ritual, one can also play with the purchase of property - bride price. A small, symbolic payment to the bride's parents for the money spent on the dowry, and for the daughter.

How to collect a dowry for a wedding

• When getting ready to marry, collect your dowry according to plan - first the essentials, then expand the list as far as possible. Remember that you will be the first to use all this, especially when it comes to household supplies and items that create comfort at home.
• Choose everything of the highest quality, discreet style (linen - snow-white, towels - only terry, high-quality dishes), but don’t go after the high cost. Your young husband should not have the feeling that you have “overwhelmed” him with your things - let your dowry speak of modesty and care, and not of a desire to boast of wealth.
• For now, don’t use what you bought for your wedding. Everything that we have listed does not spoil - it will wait its time and give you and your spouse many moments of joy and a feeling of comfort.

Used items carry the charge of the family and life in which they were used. New things bring freshness and a sense of well-being into the home and into the hearts of the newlyweds - such a feeling is worth a lot! We wish you a fun wedding and a happy family life!

Bride's dowry today

Now the concept of “dowry” has lost its original meaning, however, some echoes of this old tradition have still been preserved in modern Russia.

Probably all parents give wedding gifts to children. As a rule, these are the most expensive gifts of all. And their caring mothers and fathers often prepare them for more than one year, and sometimes for most of their lives.

Today, strict requirements for the composition of a dowry have long since sunk into oblivion, because at the beginning of their life together, some couples have everything they need - a house, furniture, and a job with a good salary, but some even today start life with a clean slate and need the support of those closest to them of people.

In order to provide all possible assistance to a new family, many parents prudently begin collecting the “wedding chest” in advance, because starting family life from scratch is difficult. Wardrobe, bed, dishes, sometimes furniture - all this will come in very handy for the newlyweds in the first place. Some parents give the newlyweds more expensive gifts - a house or apartment, a car, a dacha, and so on.

DIY wedding treasury

A family bank made for a wedding can be in the form of a festive three-tier cake. You will need square or round boxes of varying sizes.

Step-by-step instructions on how to make a “cake” for envelopes:

1. Paint the boxes with paint of a suitable color or cover them with paper/fabric, and remove the bottom from the middle one.
2. Glue the tiers together using the pyramid principle.
3. Decorate the “cake” with lace, beads, ribbons, and braid.
4. Make a hole on top for money cards and envelopes, decorate with braid or ribbons.

A wedding chest is an original accessory that will decorate the celebration and help you avoid losing the gifted envelopes. Any thing made with your own hands carries positive energy, so wedding gifts placed in a homemade family bank will bring only joy, fun, and happiness.

A few more master classes and reviews in video format:

Dowry for a Chechen bride

The main thing you need to know about the dowry of a Chechen bride is that, according to customs, the girl must take all her things to her husband’s house for four seasons, which she will wear for a whole year.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=K2Pdyiqt8oU

This composition includes the following.

1. Fur coats, jackets, coats or raincoats.
2. Tights, socks, stockings.
3. Underwear.
4. Gold jewelry.

And all this should be very beautifully packaged and folded, either in suitcases, or it could be a chest. Each item must be packaged in a separate plastic bag. So that when you open your luggage, your relatives see not a stack of things, but beautiful packages with bows.

Now in the Caucasus, these chores fall on the hands of the relatives of the future husband. But since this takes a lot of time, this is entrusted to specially trained people who can easily help you collect everything you need.

Handles and eyelets on large boxes.

We would like to pay special attention to the handles of our trousseau boxes. Since the boxes are voluminous, they contain many objects, often quite heavy, so the handles must withstand a large load.

To do this, we use a special design of handles - a durable and beautiful twisted cord is threaded through paired eyelets (metal holes) and passes under the bottom of the box. This allows the weight to be transferred from the walls of the box to the reinforced bottom and durable cord, and also adds sophistication to the overall appearance of the box.

For handles we use a twisted cord from 0.5 to 1 cm in diameter. Twisted cord is a very durable decorative material, a wide palette of colors and shades will complement the beauty of your wedding decoration, every detail is important here!

Why is a dowry needed?

Of course, a dowry is a very useful and necessary thing. History knows many cases when a generous dowry radically changed the life of a man and his new family. For example, at the age of 26, George Washington married the widow Martha Dandridge, who by that time was already raising two children from a previous marriage. A very rich dowry for those times, consisting of 150 slaves and 6,000 hectares of land, helped him join the ranks of the richest people in Virginia. This was a great start for the future President of the United States.

Young brides had great hopes for their future family life. Each diligently prepared the dowry, spending a lot of time embroidering napkins, scarves and tablecloths. However, subsequently marriage became for them a “lifelong family sentence,” regardless of whether it happened out of love or at the will of the parents. All household responsibilities fell on the girl’s fragile shoulders, and it was almost impossible to change anything - at that time, few people managed to leave their husbands. This situation remained unchanged for centuries, but the last two generations have brought about radical changes to it.

How to make an envelope for money with your own hands

Buying a gift envelope for money is not difficult. But it does not carry the positive energy and emotions that are inherent in things made with your own hands.

To make an envelope you will need paper. Paper for scrapbooking is very popular. It has sufficient density, has different patterns and embossing. For envelopes, double-sided paper or regular thick paper is ideal.

To make a gift envelope, you will need to stock up on tape, a pencil, scissors, plain paper and patterned paper for the lining. Procedure:

1. Print the envelope template.
2. Cut it out and trace it on colored paper.
3. Fold the sides of the envelope.
4. Place the resulting envelope on paper intended for lining, trace it with a pencil, and cut it out along the contour.
5. Open the envelope and insert the lining into it. Protruding edges must be trimmed.
6. Attach the lining using double-sided tape.
7. The money envelope is ready!

Dowry: a custom of all nations

Each mother began to accumulate various household utensils and linen when her daughter was still “walking under the table,” and by the age of sixteen (by the time she reached marriageable age) everything was ready. The first letter of the girl's name was embroidered on petticoats and pillows, and immediately before the wedding the capital letter of the new surname was added to it. Underwear, towels, sheets, nightgowns and other goods were carefully and carefully placed in a separate chest and awaited their time, and when it came, they were taken out to become a trousseau for the bride.

In Russia, the term “dowry” is associated with some household belongings intended for the most important moment in a girl’s life, but the French call it “trousseau,” which can be translated as “pants.” Therefore, there is no doubt about what exactly young French women stocked up on before getting married.

The tradition of giving a dowry for the bride has been known since ancient times. Back then, daughters of noble parents did not get married to puff over pots and pans. They were supposed to decorate and complement their husband. The fathers of well-born brides provided their daughters with a dowry so that when they left their parents and started their own family, they would not need anything. In addition, the dowry served as a kind of payment to the newly-made husband for the responsibility that he took upon himself by taking the girl into his house.

Pattern and diagram of the chest

The pattern for the future money house is made using a shoebox.

Here are some recommendations:

1. The back of the product should be higher than the front.
2. The lid should be shaped and have a handle so that the groom’s or witness’s hand can grip it comfortably.
3. The length of the product should be equal to the sum of the width of the box and the height of its front part.

Making a casket from sheets of cardboard is a little more difficult.

But with a little patience, you can achieve your goal:

1. To prevent the bottom of the chest from falling out, its length should be about 70 ml.
2. The slot for envelopes with banknotes is made before assembling the product: directly on the pattern. If you cut the required hole on a finished chest, you can damage the product.

The pattern of the chest is shown in the figure:

The tradition of collecting a dowry or the secret of marital wealth

The collection of dowries has existed since the beginning of marriages as such. Initially, the bride's father secured the groom's favor by giving his daughter a certain, pre-agreed list of items, livestock, and property. This served as a symbol of his pure, honest intentions and enabled the groom to strengthen his financial position and the position of his wife, for whom from the moment of marriage he bore full responsibility, as for his own child. Such a dowry was divided into two parts, one was given directly to the husband and belonged entirely to him, for example, livestock, equipment, a house or estate. The other part is designed to serve the bride to create a home, comfort in a new place, to maintain her usual way of life

There was no need to talk about quickly collecting such a dowry; literally from her birth, the bride’s parents put aside the necessary things for this important event and sometimes the total cost of the bride’s belongings exceeded the groom’s ransom for her

In a village in Rus', the tradition of collecting a dowry also proved to be a strong foundation for a young family. The first things for the dowry were prepared on the girl’s first birthday. She herself was involved in this action. Preparing the bride’s precious chest also served as a moral preparation for the girl to start her own family, instilling in her family values, respect for her husband, hard work and honing her economic skills. The dowry contained a list of things without which the future bride’s habitual life could not be carried out, namely:

• Blankets (2 warm, 2 light);
• Sheets (3 or more pieces);
• Pillows (from 2 pieces, with obligatory lace pillowcases and embroidered patterned capes);
• Bedspread (it could be patchwork or embroidered in the color of the bride’s ethnicity);

• The bride's handicrafts included an embroidered shirt for the mother-in-law and a sash for the father-in-law;
• Decorations.

If a girl, for one reason or another, did not bring any of the above to her future husband’s house, she was considered a dowry and her reputation in the new house was more than low.

Wedding money chest from a shoe box, master class with photo

To easily make a beautiful wedding chest, you need to use help: watch a detailed master class, which describes all the points in detail, step by step. The easiest way to make such a product is to use a regular cardboard shoe box. To do this you will need accessories, decor, fabrics, glue, scissors, tape and, of course, the cardboard shoe box itself.

1. First, cut out the lid of the shoe box as shown in the picture.

1. After the first step is taken, you must make a dome, which is made from the lid of a shoe box. To do this, we can glue the cardboard to the box that we cut out earlier. The whole composition should look like an arch; you need to add cardboard to the side and secure it with thick tape. If you think that one tape will not be enough, then you should also use paper clips and a stapler.

1. The third step is lining the chest. From the very beginning, you should measure the parameters of the lid and the box itself. After this, we must definitely cut off the part of the fabric we need for the upper part. Then we begin to carefully sheathe. Next, we sheathe the box itself in the same way. Everything should be done carefully, slowly, then you will get an impeccable and beautiful result.

1. The fourth step is considered one of the easiest, but at the same time crucial stages. We cut the hole we need for money, or better yet, for a whole envelope, and then check whether the bills will fit there. To ensure that the fabric does not have arrows or stitches and does not roll up, be sure to hold a burning match in that area. Be careful not to burn the entire finished box.

1. The last and most interesting step in making a wedding money box with your own hands is considered to be original and colorful decoration. Here you can show all your imagination. The outlines and side panels can be decorated with beautiful satin or lace ribbons. Don’t skimp on beads, rhinestones and beautiful bows as decorations; they will successfully highlight the festive look of the box. The side panels can be decorated with stylish photographs of the newlyweds.

To simplify your task, you should choose easier and faster ways to make a wedding money chest. An ordinary shoe box can be used for this. There is no need to cut, cut, or glue anything. The main thing is to decorate the outside of the box beautifully and neatly, and purchase beautiful ribbons. Also, an original solution would be to decorate the lid with fresh flowers, grass, a composition of dried berries, and plants. Surprise everyone with your handmade work!

The emergence of a tradition

Since ancient times in Rus', brides and their mothers have been preparing for their wedding. It started when a girl appeared in the family. The size of the dowry directly depended on the attitude towards the bride from the relatives of her future husband. Even feelings faded into the background; the main demands were made specifically for the wealth that was offered for the newlywed. If the family was relatively wealthy, the bride’s parents felt confident, since no one could blame their daughter for anything (that she came prepared for everything).

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If the family was poor, they had to collect everything they needed bit by bit so that the girl could come to her husband’s house and present everything she needed for housework. In the absence of a dowry, the newlywed had a hard time, since the hardest housework fell on her shoulders. A woman had to unquestioningly fulfill all responsibilities for caring for children, her husband and all his relatives.

What should freelancers do?

Since the method is based on building a budget with regular cash flows, those who work remotely and freelance may think that it is not suitable for them. Of course, everything depends on each specific case, but as a rule, each freelancer has one or more regular customers, cooperation with whom forms the majority of his monthly income. Enter into the table the most pessimistic amounts and the latest dates of receipt of funds from each regular client. It is on these cautious forecasts that the expenditure side of the budget should be calculated. Income received from random customers, as well as amounts from regular customers that exceed the pessimistic level you define, are automatically included in the unpredictable part of savings.

Photo: , , , ,

Hello, dear readers! Every child likes to play with various toys and musical instruments. However, role-playing games are especially interesting for them: doctor-patient, cashier-customer, daughter-mother, etc. Therefore, in today’s article I want to tell you how to make a cash register with your own hands. I'm sure the kids will be delighted!

So what do we need?

• 2 cardboard boxes. Absolutely any boxes found in the house will do - napkins, muesli, oatmeal, or you can make them yourself from cardboard.
• Colored paper or thin cardboard
• Pencils, felt-tip pens
• Scissors
• Scotch
• The calculator may not be working.

Now let's move on to the manufacturing process of the device itself. One box will serve as the basis of the future cash register, the second - storage of bills, coins and a container for the cash register tape.

What is included in the dowry of a Russian bride?

The dowry of a Russian bride should consist of items that will create a comfortable and cozy state. What can be included in the list of such things?

1. A set of bed linen, maybe not just one, but several.
2. Towels are purchased for both the kitchen and the bath.
3. Set of dishes. These are pots, pans, a kettle, plates, spoons, forks.
4. Appliances. This could be a TV, a washing machine, a dishwasher, or a steamer.

In order for the dowry to become useful and truly necessary, you need to consult with your future husband and mother-in-law on this matter. Therefore, you should choose wisely. And first buy those things that you will need first, and then buy everything else as needed. Therefore, the bride's dowry is modern and is not always bought in advance, as in the old days.

To collect a dowry, you should only buy new things so that they serve you for many years, and in case of any problems, you can always return the item or send it to a workshop under warranty. And it’s better not to buy used goods. Moreover, it is believed that every thing has the energy of the one who used it before you.

Materials for individual production:

The boxes are made of binding, very durable cardboard (3mm), which guarantees the safety of even fragile products during transportation. If dowry boxes are expected to contain heavy contents weighing more than 20 kg (dishes, bedding sets or household appliances), we make a reinforced double bottom and handles made of 1cm strong twisted cord, which, passing under the bottom of the box, take on the entire load, which is very reliable and convenient for transportation.

The assembled frames of cardboard boxes are laminated (pasted) with designer types of papers. We work with leading suppliers in Moscow, whose paper collections have many colors, textures and shades. Most often, box liners are laminated (pasted) with designer materials from the F-COLOR , COLORPLAN and POLY VELOURS collections.

The color of the laminating (pasting) of your dowry boxes can be selected to match the overall color palette of the style of the celebration.

Dowry for a Kazakh bride

What does the Kazakh dowry list include?

• The main attribute is “makhabbat-kerpe”. This is something like a bedspread that is sewn on a double bed. And a blanket for newlyweds is sewn in the same size. It is customary to store these things until the birth of children.
• The next thing to collect is the bedroom set and bed linen. According to custom, the mother herself must sew it for her beloved daughter.

• They also donate mattresses. They can vary in size and thickness. The main thing is that there is enough for all guests.
• Chest for things.
• Towels, blankets and napkins.

How can you congratulate newlyweds on their wedding?

After the completion of the Orthodox wedding ceremony, it is traditional to give gifts to the young family and congratulate them on entering a new life together. It is a great honor for the invited guests to say warm words of wishes to the newlyweds in honor of the completion of the sacrament. The solemn message addressed to the newly-made spouses should be pronounced from the heart, coming from the depths of the soul. Wishes filled with warmth, sincerity, and grace will always find a response from the young couple, leaving pleasant memories and heartfelt gratitude to the invitee.

In verse and prose

Congratulations to the newlyweds on the wedding ceremony can be either in poetic form or in prose. If you have the opportunity, then, having allocated some free time, compose your own quatrain dedicated to the birth of a new family, supplementing it with musical accompaniment. Even if it is only four lines, but you put all your joy, happiness, and delight for the newlyweds into them, the message will find a response in the hearts of the newly made spouses.

If you find it difficult to write poetry, then a sincere wish in prose is a worthy option for congratulating a young married couple on their wedding. It would be appropriate to compose a message that includes quotes from church books or parting words spoken by Orthodox saints who patronize marriage, family relationships or childbirth. Examples of warm, sincere words for newlyweds in poetry and prose:

SMS congratulations

If you do not have the opportunity to congratulate the young spouses in person, then you can send an SMS wish with the sacrament, adding a cool song to it. The text of the message can be short or long, containing sincere feelings, heartfelt wishes and spiritual instructions to the young family. SMS congratulations can be in the form of poetry or prose. The words must be written from the heart, expressing joy and happiness for the newlyweds.

Compose your holiday message with the words: angel, crown, altar, ring, fidelity, wedding, church, bless, Lord, or use the ready-made options below. When choosing a rhyme, try to put into the congratulation all your feelings of deep spiritual delight for creating a new family, blessed by God, thereby emphasizing the solemnity and significance of the Orthodox event. An example of SMS congratulations on a wedding ceremony:

• Friends! You made an oath to God, united souls for centuries. I wish you fidelity, happiness, love in sacred marriage!
• The Lord blessed the family union. May joy and love always sanctify the marital path.
• On this solemn day, in front of the altar, you consecrated and strengthened the marriage union. Keep your oath of allegiance and protect each other.
• The sacrament of wedding was completed, God himself covered the family union with grace. May the angels protect you from adversity, and may happiness never leave you.
• Your union, sanctified by divine light, will be happy. God bless and grant love for many years to come.
• Lovers! Let your wedding rings become a symbol of immeasurable happiness! The family will be a ray of counting, hope and love.

Chest diagram

Once the desired shape of the future wedding box has been chosen and all the materials have been prepared, you need to move on to the next stage - finding a pattern. It can be easily found on the Internet on specialized sites. Here are presented both diagrams of standard rectangular wedding accessories, as well as very unexpected and interesting options.

To save time, you can purchase a ready-made box from the material you like or simply use a regular small shoe box. By making a slot for banknotes and decorating it with ribbons, flowers and rhinestones, you can get a very attractive family bank for a wedding.

Bride's dowry - traditions relative to modern realities + photos

There may come a time in every girl's life when her loved one proposes to her.

It is worth preparing for this event in advance by starting to collect a dowry.

Let's figure out what is included in the bride's dowry.

A little history

The tradition of collecting a dowry has come to us since ancient times. Even poor parents were obliged to collect it. This should have included: bed linen, towels, dishes, wedding dress.

If a girl did not have income and could not collect a dowry, she could not get married.

From childhood, the girl was taught to knit napkins, embroider shirts, tablecloths and bedding, which went into her dowry.

She also had to embroider sashes and towels that were given to the groom and his family. Before the wedding, the girl sewed a ball for future children.

In rich and poor families, collecting things for a prosperous life after the wedding was mandatory, and no one was exempt from sewing towels or shirts.

Before transporting the dowry, they made a list, and also organized a viewing party, at which the groom’s relatives were shown all their belongings.

The groom bought the dowry according to the list compiled so that things were safe. During the wedding contract, it was decided how many valuable things would end up in the new family. The groom's land and his status after the wedding passed to the bride.

Dowry today

Few families now collect a dowry in advance. Usually people think about this after the wedding.

The positive aspect of this is that the young couple will buy themselves what they need, rather than transporting rubbish that may not be useful to them.

After all, in this case you will have to buy not only kitchen utensils, but also everything necessary for the child. Therefore, it is still better to take care of this in advance and buy the most necessary things.

Bed linen and towels

First of all, young people need bedding. This includes: mattress, bed linen, pillows, warm blanket, bedspread.

You can't do without towels. For two you will need 4 bath towels. Be sure to purchase separate ones for arms and legs. The kitchen also needs towels. 5 pieces will be enough. In families that adhere to old traditions, embroidered towels can be used.

Dishes and household appliances

As for the dishes, you need to choose them very carefully, because the prepared food should always be tasty.

As a dowry, the girl will need to purchase 4 pots of different sizes to cook soups, cereals, and pasta. You will need 3 pans. One will be used for making pancakes and the other two - medium and large in size - for preparing food.

Also important: a regular or electric kettle, baking tray and other baking utensils.

It is better to purchase several table sets. One will be used every day, and the second for guests. They should include plates, spoons, saucers, cups, glasses, glasses. You definitely need to buy a set of knives and wooden boards.

The dowry may also include household appliances. Essential items include: refrigerator, stove, washing machine. Later they purchase a TV, a vacuum cleaner, a mixer and other necessary household appliances.

Decoration

Any girl should look great in front of her husband, so you should take care to include underwear, dressing gowns, shirts, cute home clothes, as well as outfits for going out in your dowry.

After all, a wife should not walk around the house in a mended robe, curlers and smell of borscht. Her image should be a reference in the eyes of her husband.

It's best to make a list of things you need and then expand on it.

First of all, you need to focus on household supplies. Household appliances are acquired over time, but you need to start creating comfort in your home right away. https://www.youtube.com/embed/qTERg_h-nl8

When choosing things you need to look at their quality. You don't have to buy everything expensive. The most important thing is that they last a long time.

The bride's dowry should not give the impression that the girl wants to show off her money. It should show her to be humble and caring.

Items prepared as a dowry must not be used before the wedding. After all, you need to bring something new into a new life, not something old.

How to make an unusual money chest yourself

Building such a chest is very simple. Now you will read the easiest master class that will allow you to make a money box in a matter of minutes. First, give the box the shape of a casket, because you have to make more than just a chest. The sides should be semicircular.

Then take care of the lid, because it should be convex. Carefully make longitudinal furrows along it. Don't press too hard because you may cut through the box. The grooves will allow you to easily bend the lid without breaking it. Trim off any excess parts and secure everything with tape. It is best to use double-sided tape.

Mark in advance the place where the slot for envelopes with money will be located. Cut it out using a small cardboard and paper cutter. Make a wide slot, because it should fit not only paper bills, but also envelopes with money. Make the finished cut neat by covering each edge with tape.

Decorate your money chest by covering each side with something beautiful. You can use colored paper, thick foil or openwork fabric. Make the bottom layer a single color, and let the top layer be a different color. You can cover the box with beautiful wallpaper. Cover the casket, starting from the side parts. Lastly, the lid of the chest is decorated. Did you feel like the lid was too heavy? So, attach the ribbon with one end to the lid and the other to the side of the box. You must do the work very carefully, because the final result depends on it.

A handmade gift should be beautiful not only on the outside. Don't forget to tape the inside of the casket as well. Place a beautiful red fabric on the bottom. Signs say that money really loves this color.

We cover the joints and sides with ribbons or braid. Here you need to imagine and experiment.

And finally, the most important point. Your money box should be individual. Decorate it with fabric flowers or shiny stones. You can also cover the chest with ready-made stickers. Attach beautiful paper figures or twisted cords. Play with contrast. Let the paper be white and the flowers red.

Now your money box is ready. You can safely give it to newlyweds!

In this master class I will create and show step by step in the photo how to make a wedding money chest with your own hands from an ordinary glass box, into which guests throw envelopes, postcards and bills at the wedding. It seems that such an accessory is optional, but on such a day everything should be perfect down to the smallest detail.

Brides of state importance

“Choice of a dowry” by Nikolai Bekryashev.

The dowry of girls from noble families related to the imperial one was regulated by the legislation of the Russian Empire. According to the law of 1797, if a marriage takes place at the will of the emperor, then the girl receives a dowry from the state treasury, depending on the degree of relationship, from 100 thousand rubles (great-great-granddaughter) to a million (daughter).

In 1886, the dowry of the emperor's distant relatives was reduced to 30 thousand rubles, and after the wedding the girl received only half. The remaining amount was kept in the bank and was paid annual interest. To organize a dowry for the daughters and granddaughters of the emperor, they could even organize tenders among suppliers: porcelain, glass, and furniture factories considered such orders very beneficial for their reputation.

If the Grand Duchess married a foreigner, then a marriage contract was necessarily drawn up. In addition, such a bride’s dowry included church utensils if the husband was of a different faith. Most often, Russian brides abroad spent their money on maintaining the house, traveling and their own needs.

Symbolic dowry: making a list

So, if your goal is to add a beautiful tradition to your wedding preparations, as well as to show yourself as a thrifty bride, you can limit yourself to the most standard set:

• set of bed linen – 1 piece;
• bath towels – 2 pcs.;
• table napkins (made of fabric) – 4 pcs.;
• cutlery set;
• tea-set;
• set of glasses;
• pots, pans – 2-3 pcs.;
• tablecloth.

That's all the belongings with which you can win the approval of traditionally minded relatives on your husband's side and avoid reproaches of lack of dowry in the distant future

On the other hand, please note that even such a modest set can cost a month’s salary - after all, everything must be new, unused! It may make sense to collect everything gradually, but keep in mind that previously used items are in bad taste and can only be forgiven in the poorest families. It may make sense to collect everything gradually, but keep in mind that previously used items are in bad taste and can only be forgiven in the poorest families.

It may make sense to collect everything gradually, but keep in mind that previously used items are in bad taste and can only be forgiven in the poorest families.

Dowry: what is it and why is it needed?

A dowry (or trousseau) is essentially a set of valuables that a bride brings to her new family after marriage. Previously, when women did not earn money, and therefore could not contribute to the general pot of family income, as men did, their property was added, so to speak, to the balance of the spouse once - after the wedding.

Further, the woman’s task was to give birth and raise offspring, run the household, take care of her husband’s property, and not at all increase it with work or intellectual labor. That is why among the ancient Slavs the moment of transferring a girl’s material assets from her parents’ family to her husband’s family was of such great importance.

Today the situation is completely different - women and men are equally capable of ensuring the well-being of the family, so instead of a “one-time contribution”, emancipated wives invest their funds daily in food, everyday life, children, recreation, etc.

That is, after the wedding, bringing as many valuables as possible into the house is no longer so important, because the spouse will continue to do this - constantly, year after year

The bride's dowry is an old tradition that modern girls observe less and less. And yet, many men, and even more their families - the older generation, still expect the bride to observe at least formally part of this tradition.

Basically, the young wife and her family are expected to move into the matrimonial home some household items, things that create comfort, textiles, kitchen utensils - in a word, everything that the new mistress will need to run the house. Some husbands are sincerely surprised when their wife simply doesn’t have her own frying pan for pancakes, and the mother-in-law is annoyed that the daughter-in-law didn’t even bring a tablecloth into the house.

So, at the philistine level, a dowry today is simply a gesture of politeness towards the traditional family way of life, and if you want to make a good impression on the groom’s family, you still need to bring something with you! We'll tell you what exactly.

Decoration

How to make a money box for a wedding? The basic box does not look attractive, so it is hidden under the upholstery and decorated. How to do it?

tight fitting

The following materials are suitable for this:

1. Leather of any color, which is fixed to the box with appropriate glue.
2. Multi-colored cardboard, craft paper. They are not suitable for single performance. After gluing them to the base, you need to make spectacular decorative elements, preferably from airy fabric.
3. Fabrics that can be of very different colors and textures. They are both glued to the base and sewn. The tie is then decorated with a beautiful ribbon, and the threads become invisible.
4. Designer paper, which is produced in a wide variety of styles, colors and textures. It can be replaced with beautiful wallpaper or self-adhesive film.
5. Paints. If the base is smooth, without flaws, then it will be enough to simply paint it a beautiful color. You can choose any paint, but it is better to give preference to water-based paint.

Volumetric upholstery

It is this that makes the product spectacular, and not everyone will believe that it was made by hand. And everything is done simply:

1. Cut out the parts of the box from padding polyester so that they clearly coincide with its edges. Glue them to the base.
2. Do the same with the fabric, but it needs to be cut out with an allowance of 2 cm. It is fixed on top of the padding polyester using pins.
3. Sew around the perimeter with thick threads.
4. Outline a pattern for the smooth buttons and secure them along it, bending the edges inward.
5. Cover everything inside with fabric to hide all the rough parts. Decorate to your liking.

If desired, the buttons are replaced with beads, which are held in place with thread. You can simply cover the buttons with sequins or other decorative elements.

Decorations

Here you can do whatever your heart desires. However, you should not approach the issue fanatically and use everything to the maximum, otherwise you risk getting an analogue of a crow’s nest and complete bad taste.

Increasingly, designers are giving preference to wedding chests that are made in a nude color and decorated with a contrasting bow or a small bouquet of flowers, or better yet, one large flower. It is permissible to use lace that matches the tone or a couple of tones lighter/darker than the base fabric.

If you prefer bright stones and rhinestones, then the base color should be muted and not contrasting so that they look like a scattering of stars. And if you decide to make a chest in the shape of a stroller, then design it similarly to the original or as similar as possible. It’s difficult to make a car by hand, so you can turn a corresponding toy into a box or decorate a chest with cutouts of beautiful cars, hinting at what the newlyweds are saving for.

Such a bright and joyful holiday as a wedding should be impeccable. And you shouldn’t give up such a traditional element as a money chest. You can buy it, but it’s better to make it yourself, putting your soul into it, because this is the only way to create masterpieces that will delight you for many years.

What is included in the dowry?

For Russians, a dowry for a bride implies the presence of things that create a cozy and warm atmosphere in the home of the newlyweds. Once upon a time, the collection of these items began with the birth of a girl - a bride with a dowry had a better chance of getting married successfully than one without a dowry.

Nowadays, no dowry is collected from the birth of a daughter. If you have the funds, you can buy everything you need in a couple of days. However, such a solution is not economically profitable. It is better to take care of preparing the dowry in advance.

Bride's dowry in boxes

Dowry many years ago

The dowry was collected back in Kievan Rus. The set of things depended on the welfare of the bride's family. However, despite the wealth of the parents, there was a certain minimum list of items.

In any village, the bride's dowry necessarily included:

• wedding dress;
• jewelry;

Gold pendants with diamonds and: topaz; amethyst, all SL (prices via links)

• kitchenware;
• bed sheets;
• blanket, pillows;
• towels, towels.

If a girl did not have these things, it was believed that she would most likely live her life alone. The issue of preparing a dowry was taken very seriously.

Bride's dowry in a chest

From an early age, girls began to independently fill a special chest with the necessary things. They sewed napkins, tablecloths, bed linen and decorated everything with embroidery. The bride had to embroider and decorate her wedding dress and home textiles herself.

Belts and towels were embroidered as gifts for the groom and his family members. The newlyweds' bed was also made by the bride. She decorated the linen with embroidered national patterns.

Collecting a dowry was mandatory in families. It didn’t matter whether she belonged to a certain class - the girl had to sew household items with her own hands. If this work was entrusted to serfs or dressmakers, the young lady was called the offensive word “netkakha” at that time.

The bride prepares the dowry

What kind of wedding boxes do we make?

Our boxes are made from durable 3 mm ESKABOARD cardboard (Netherlands).

Modern manufacturing technologies guarantee high quality, excellent rigidity, even and smooth surface.

These boxes are especially durable (like chests). You can safely put all the components of your trousseau in them: outerwear and dresses, underwear sets and shoes, tablecloths and bedding. You can also safely put porcelain sets and souvenirs in such boxes.

Wedding trousseau boxes can be of any color (white, pink, gold, turquoise and other tones), to suit every taste and in combination with the color scheme of the celebration itself.
We produce family name (family) logos, printed ribbon, custom cards and invitations, stickers and decals.

In production, we use a wide color palette of designer papers for lining (pasting): F-color (canvas), Colorplan (matte), Poly Velours (velvet). All these materials have a special surface texture and strength. The choice of material is yours!