שופטים, פרק י״ד, פסוק י׳

The preparations for the wedding highlight a clear division of family roles and provide a window into the social customs of the era. While the older generation handled the practical arrangements, the younger generation focused on the social celebration.

Although the groom and his parents traveled to the city together, his father took the lead. He either entered the city first or walked along a more established, respectable path [רד"ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. His journey ahead was not necessarily to meet the bride face-to-face, but rather to manage the official business of the marriage [רש"י, רד"ק]. By arriving early, the father took on the responsibility of securing the wedding supplies [מצודת דוד] and formally notifying the bride that she needed to prepare for the upcoming union [רד"ק, מלבי"ם].

While his father managed the logistics, the groom turned his attention to the festivities. He organized a feast, paying for the entire event out of his own pocket [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This arrangement followed the accepted social norms of the time. It was customary for a groom, while still an unmarried young man, to host and fund a celebration to sit and rejoice with his peers [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This specific event was a seven-day gathering that took place just before the wedding, standing as a completely separate tradition from the feast that the bride would host after the marriage was finalized [מלבי"ם].