[kenning]

Some old traditions like this are so bizarre, I can't even imagine why they were created in the first place. Dowry is also like this -- I always forget which side pays which, because the idea of someone paying for a marriage is so strange.

[majewsky]

The family of the bride has to pay dowry, because she becomes part of the man's family after marriage and they have to feed her. Or so goes the logic, I guess. (Or maybe because women are so much less worth then men that you have to add a dowry to make the marriage a fair trade.)