Who had the first bridal shower? Why is so much money spent on buying things off a list that the couple generated in a local department store? (Usually stuff you know that they will NEVER use). Well here's how the tradition of the bridal shower began.
The Shower started as an alternative to the dowry. Years ago, as the story goes, there lived a young Dutch girl who loved a young Dutch miller. Because the miller gave to the poor so often, he could never save money for himself. This, of course, did not please his future bride's father. He refused to give her a dowry. Fortunately for the couple, many villagers approved of the union. To make up the girl's dowry, each villager brought some treasured possession of his own until a chest had been filled with all household goods that a bride should bring to her new home. They 'showered' the maiden until even her father was won over. From that day to this, it has been the custom for the bride's friends and family to present her with gifts for her new life.
The Victorian age has it's own origin and version of the bridal shower, where it was customs for presents to be put inside a parasol, which when opened would "shower" the bride-to-be with gifts.
*References:
http://bridal-showers.net/
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