Men's Group

For one, I wouldn't have necessarily expected them to say yes. They'd had plenty of issues with our relationship already. (They've since come around, and I get along fine with them now.)

For another, I didn't see his permission as particularly relevant, since it was her life and she was not his property. "Her hand" wasn't his to give or to withhold. In my case, it would have felt like a betrayal or a sign of disrespect to her in some way, though I am not saying it always is. But I agree with you that it seems archaic.