Wedding chest

“Hope for marriage” Formerly, the content in the wedding chest was the bride’s dowry. The traditional chest is a wooden trunk or box that is used to store special articles of clothing and other household goods for a bride to use after her marriage This tradition originates from the time when marriage would include an exchange of property between the two families. A wealthy prospective groom’s family offered the bride’s family money, land, or even business ownership in order to win her hand in marriage. In turn, the bride’s family provided the bridal couple with everything they needed to start their lives together. The dowry included linens, china, silverware, glassware, kitchen items, and even furniture. In families of limited means, the mothers taught their daughters at an early age how to knit, embroider, sew etc in preparation for marriage. Their chests were filled with lingerie, hand-embroidered linens, towels, and other handicrafts. Many fathers built their daughter’s chest, which was then passed on from mother to daughter. The chest is also the traditional place for a bride to store her wedding dress to hand down to her daughters. This tradition has survived the centuries, but nowadays in a romantic sense.

 

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