Royal Wedding Watch: Desperately Seeking Parental Permission? – LBF
OK, so this this interesting. Prince Harry asked Meghan Markle‘s mom – OMG the alliteration! – for her hand in marriage.
(Photo by Eddie Mulholland-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Cute? Or an outdated custom?
Whenever I am faced with deep etiquette questions like these, I pour myself a proper gin and tonic and consult the oracle of manners:
Emily Post.
Here’s what I got:
“To Ask or Not to Ask Permission from the Parents: Individual circumstances determine whether you should ask permission from their parents, either alone or with your intended, or if you should simply announce your plans together. Be respectful of the culture and traditions of your future partner’s family. This will help you decide the most appropriate course of action.”
What the in the name of PUTTING YOUR NAPKIN ON YOUR LAP is that kind of answer?
Etiquette is not ambiguous. HOW RUDE!
Since I have no guide, here’s my thought: It’s kind of outdated and dowry-esque. (I just made up that word. Don’t judge me.)
Asking parental permission for something on which consenting adults are deciding is as much a throwback as getting four acres or land and a field of sheep for marrying the eldest daughter.
Dave didn’t ask my parents. I think it was less of a political statement and more of an oversight. Sorry Dad!
But I think in a world that is always evolving (sometimes not as fast as we’d like), this is a tradition that should be on its way out. It might be adorable. But it’s unnecessary.
‘Answer him fair – yea or nay’. A young man and his sweetheart ponder the question of marriage, circa 1825. A painting by Charles Haigh-Wood. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
