Question

in old times (and even now in some cultures) when a man was interested in marrying a woman he approached her father about the matter (often even before consulting the woman). Do you think there may be some value in couples getting married this way? Why or why not?

Answer 1

There is some value to couples getting married this way. Oftentimes, the decision-making behind deciding to marry someone can be impaired by infatuation. The groom asking the bride's father for approval to get married may help prevent an unhealthy relationship, as the father has less of a bias towards the groom then the bride does. This is not to say, however, that the father still cannot have a bias towards or against the groom.