"Goomba" > wrote in message
> I think it comes from lower socio-economic groups who tried to help poorer
> couples set up house, not unlike a mutual aid society. Not the same thing
> as these days where people should be working and self sufficient before
> marriage. It was survival then, now it is greed. Tacky as hell too.
>

Going back many years, that dollar was probably a big portion of the wedding
gift. Weddings used to be a celebration of the marriage with friends and
family, not a grab for gifts and fancy meals.

I just read in the paper that the "average" cost of a wedding now is
$28,704. I can't imaging working the next few months just to pay for a
wedding, mine or my kids. The son of our friends just divorced and later
remarried and still owes on the first wedding.