After the man and the girl agree to share their lives together the man's parents will go to the girl's parents to request their consent and for negotiations. If the man is from a well to do family, they can ask for some of his property as a dowry, which will be theirs after their marriage. If the man is poor and cannot afford to give any token, his parents will say,
"Of paddy land or orchard we have none. Our son is poor but is hard working. So, the couple can work and save together to be better off in the future."
Then the girl's parents will not demand anything from him. The man usually asks someone who is skillful in persuading people or someone who is well respected by the community or one who has a high status to speak on his behalf while proposing for the girl to marry him. The following is an example of the negotiation.
"We're here today to ask for your precious gem. We hope you as her parents will have no objection realizing that they truly love each other and are meant to be with each other due to the karma they shared in a previous life."
The girl's parents will not have the heart to decline the proposal and will then reply:
"Our daughter is the apple of our eye. But since both of you have come to ask for her, may I trust that you'll take care of her, love and cherish her like your own children."
Then, they agree to look for an auspicious day and arrange for a "kinkaek" wedding to let everybody know about it. If they are poor, they can just find an auspicious day and time for the groom to move in with the girl's family. (Silao Katephrom, 2001, p.1129; Inta Laokham, personal communication, Nov. 8, 2008).
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