WHAT HAPPENS AT THE CEREMONY?
EXCHANGE OF GIFTS.
WHAT IS IT?
The Hand Request ceremony is when a man formally asks for his fiancèe's hand in marriage.
It is when a couple receives the approval of their families, and is considered the appropriate time to join the two families so they can get to know one another before the wedding.
The cost of the Hand Request Ceremony is generally the responsibility of the family of the fiancèe. Dinner is generally a part of the celebration.
The date of the wedding is announced.
There are no specific words or format, but usually the father of the groom-to-be, or the fiancè, formally requests of the father of the bride-to-be, the hand of the bride, that is, permission to marry her. Tradition requires that the hand request is sealed by the exchange of gifts between the engaged couple.
The traditional gifts are a ring to the bride, and a clock to the groom.
Some men give a gift of flowers to their future mother-in-laws.
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