Jill Grande Bowl

Essence of The Dowry.

People and places have always been the essence of my life. I love waking up in the morning and going about my day surrounded by beautiful things in my home that nod to the people I love and places that have transformed me.

I consider it a triumphant gesture of self actualization to create a home that represents me, with the goal of inviting people into that space, to share who I am on a deeper level, and in turn getting to know them better.

But the above is not easy.

From curating a place that feels special and specific to sharing it with others, it can be challenging, expensive, and time consuming.

Trying to select unique household items for my 2007 wedding gift registry led only to frustration. I couldn’t seem to track down items that truly felt like home without investing a lot into the process.

The persistent trend.

Since then I have seen a persistent trend: we seek but seldom succeed to make our homes a complete representation of what we envision. An extension of our love, our friendships, our travels, our personalities, our memories.

Currently, wedding registries only offer couples mass-produced products from big-box retailers, resulting in cookie-cutter homes lacking originality. It doesn't feel personal or meaningful enough to earn a place on our shelves, atop our tables, or in our rooms.

I’m happy to introduce you to The Dowry.

An ethically-minded wedding gift registry and curated artisan marketplace. My intent is to design a business that refuses the notion of a one size fits all existence.

The Dowry marketplace empowers couples to build their wedding-gift registry from items exquisitely shaped, woven, painted, and imagined by hand-selected artisans. It’s an elite group of talent we are incredibly excited to share with you! 

But why do we call ourselves The Dowry?

Traveling is more than a hobby to me. Each time I step foot in a new place I discover more endless beauty, but also become more aware of endless struggle and suffering. One of those daily sufferings witnessed is the victimization by cultural dowry practices towards women today.

Though the centuries-old custom has been outlawed it is still putting women and young girls at great risk today. The Dowry is named to provoke more conversations about this very real danger, ultimately turning our conversations into positive cultural change. The Dowry is committed to facilitating growth and independence for women and girls victimized by cultural dowry practices.