The dowry system has already been illegal by law in India for 60 years but of course it is not well enforced. Secondly due to family dynamics, things are not equally divided as you might think. It maybe the oldest son that gets the property but another son who takes care of the parents. It maybe a daughter who is the caring one while the sons go of on their own.
Yeah it is. First, the bride paying for the wedding may be tradition, but it isn't absolute. In other words, in the United States, you won't see two people NOT get married because the wife's family can't afford a wedding. If your culture expects a dowry, what you can afford may influence who you are allowed to marry or whether a marriage can happen or not.
Second, the tradition of the bride's family paying in the U.S. has significantly lessened over the years. More young people pay for their own weddings or share the cost with their parents.
My parents's paid for the bulk of my small wedding (which despite being deliberately small and my hack of avoiding having to pay for the location, was still probably $20k once my dress, the reception, airfare/hotel for my parents and sister, flowers, photos and other assorted pre-wedding meals were dealt with -- weddings are just fucking expensive), and were happy to do it (and were happy they were able to do it), but if they would have been unable to cover the bill, my husband and I -- or his family -- would have stepped in, no questions asked. Like, it wasn't even a concern.
