The idea of a trousseau comes historically from the bride's dowry. In many parts of the world, both husband and wife brought certain items into the marriage as part of their new home. The groom was expected to pay for the new home and its furnishings, and the bride brought more personal items, such as her clothing and linens that the couple would use. The bride's contribution was called the dowry, or a trousseau in old French.

Though quite uncommon in the United States today, a trousseau usually consists of linens, heirlooms, and other special things she has bought or collected that she wishes to save for use in the home she and her husband will start together. In some countries today, such as India, the trousseau is alive and well and refers to the clothing that a bride assembles for her wedding, for pre-and post-wedding parties, and for her honeymoon.

In Jewish history, brides and grooms did indeed enter a wedding with a dowry or trousseau for her and a dower given to the couple by the groom's family. These are alluded to in traditional documents that many couples sign, the tanaim and the ketubah, which will be explained later in this book. Today, few Jewish couples bring into the marriage the dowry and dower amounts mentioned in these documents. Rather, like most couples, they bring what they have and share all of it. Often, if couples are younger, parents will give them a “dowry” and “dower” to assist them in their new transition.

In earlier times, Jewish weddings began a year before the wedding ceremony with the signing of contracts that guaranteed each side would go though with the wedding. The contracts often outlined the bride's trousseau and what the groom would bring into the marriage. The process of gathering the trousseau and building a home for the couple began a year before the actual ceremony because it would take this long to prepare it all.