This cry of “was it ever done any other way?” strikes me as historically naive… arranged marriages happened, after all, and still happen. During certain space-time periods I understand it is/was customary to have much younger brides than grooms, in which case it seems more reasonable to surprise rather than discuss (since the groom may not have a great desire for the young bride’s opinions in the matter).
In any case, it seems the question should be answered by a historical sociologist...
Well, yes, of course arranged marriages happened, but arranged marriages were typically discussed and planned among the families involved. I’m referring to this idea of marriage proposals in the “old sense”, where the groom springs the question on the bride and it’s the bride’s decision to accept or reject, right then. (Maybe I’m misunderstanding something.)
This cry of “was it ever done any other way?” strikes me as historically naive… arranged marriages happened, after all, and still happen. During certain space-time periods I understand it is/was customary to have much younger brides than grooms, in which case it seems more reasonable to surprise rather than discuss (since the groom may not have a great desire for the young bride’s opinions in the matter).
In any case, it seems the question should be answered by a historical sociologist...
Well, yes, of course arranged marriages happened, but arranged marriages were typically discussed and planned among the families involved. I’m referring to this idea of marriage proposals in the “old sense”, where the groom springs the question on the bride and it’s the bride’s decision to accept or reject, right then. (Maybe I’m misunderstanding something.)