Redorer son blason (literally "to re-gild one's coat of arms") was a social practice taking place in France before the French Revolution whereby a poor aristocratic family married a daughter to a rich commoner. This enabled the aristocratic family to recover financially through the hefty dowry usually asked from the commoner. On the other hand, the commoner was allowed to add the aristocratic name of his bride (with the nobiliary particle "de") to his own family name, and this was dearly sought.