Many of our traditions were born in the days of “Marriage by Capture”. One source says that after “kidnapping” his bride, the groom would take her and go into hiding. By the time the bride’s family tracked them down the bride would probably already be pregnant! A “bride price” would then be negotiated. An earlier source is the early Jewish custom of the bride and groom spending a week together alone immediately after the marriage feast. The earliest reference to this practice is the old testament’s account of Jacob’s marriages to Leah and Rachel.