Final answer:
In traditional marriages, it is the bride's family that often provides a dowry, which includes material items for the bride's well-being within her husband's lineage. Bride wealth, on the other hand, is typically paid by the groom's family to the bride's family, symbolizing a formal alliance between the two lineages.
Step-by-step explanation:
In traditional marriage practices across various cultures, it is the bride's family that often pays to the couple in the form of a dowry. The dowry usually comprises material values like money, jewelry, household goods, and family heirlooms, contributing to the bride's well-being within her husband's lineage. In certain societies, the dowry is turned over to the husband, while in others, the bride retains rights to this wealth as a married woman, which can provide status within the marriage and create a form of inheritance for her daughters.
In contrast, bride wealth involves the transfer of value from the groom's family to the bride's family, and may include various items like money, cattle, or jewelry. This form of marriage compensation is prevalent across cultures and aims to formalize alliances between the two lineages involved in the marriage. Nowadays, more contemporary items may be included, such as cars or appliances, and in some cases, a portion of the bride wealth is paid prior to the marriage ceremony with the rest paid later on, keeping the groom indebted to the bride's family.