Quote Originally Posted by DuncanONeil View Post
It may seem cheesy and tacky but it is likely a symbol that grew out of that of pledging fealty to the, whichever is appropriate, local ruler. For in essence that is what it is pledging you fealty to another.
It occurs to me that in the days when society was so male dominated that women were very rarely free to take any decisions for themselves, it might have been important to have a clear symbolic reminder that this was one of the few places where the woman had the final say. She might have enormous pressure put on her, but legally she still had a choice: he was expected to get down at her feet to remind them both that he was asking, not ordering.