^^ You'd ALWAYS go to the father or keeper of the gal of your affection and ask for permission to marry her.
When you think about it, what does this custom say? Basically that women are children and are not responsible for their own well being. You have to get approval from the father or other guardian so that they can "pass on" the care of the woman from themselves to you. I wonder how feminists feel about it?
Maybe this is why it isn't quite as common as it used to be, but guys will still do it so they can show off lol.
I think women like to see this because it's part of the tradition of the wedding celebration (which they love), and because it's almost like a sh!t test for the guy: Will he have the nerve to stand up to the former "alpha male" in her life, her father, and ask for her hand?
I wonder what caused things to change so much in under 3 generations.
If I had to narrow it down to just one factor, I'd say The Pill.