אבן העזר נ״זEven HaEzer 57

Se’if 1א׳

הַבַּעַל קוֹדֵם לְכָל אָדָם בִּירֻשַּׁת אִשְׁתּוֹ. וּמֵאֵימָתַי יִזְכֶּה בִּירֻשָּׁתָהּ, מִשֶּׁתֵּצֵא מֵרְשׁוּת הָאָב, וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁעֲדַיִן לֹא נִכְנְסָה לָחֻפָּה, הוֹאִיל וְנַעֲשֵׂית בִּרְשׁוּת בַּעֲלָהּ, יִירָשֶׁנָּה. כֵּיצַד, הָאִשָּׁה שֶׁנִּתְאָרְסָה וּמְסָרָהּ אָבִיהָ לְבַעֲלָהּ, אוֹ לִשְׁלוּחֵי בַּעֲלָהּ, אוֹ מְסָרוּהָ שְׁלוּחֵי הָאָב לְבַעֲלָהּ אוֹ לִשְׁלוּחָיו, וּמֵתָה בַּדֶּרֶךְ קֹדֶם שֶׁתִּכָּנֵס לָחֻפָּה, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַנְּדוּנְיָא עֲדַיִן בְּבֵית אָבִיהָ, בַּעֲלָהּ יוֹרְשָׁהּ. וְעַיֵּן לְעֵיל סוֹף סִימָן נ"ג וּלְקַמָּן סִימָן קי"ח. וְיֵשׁ חוֹלְקִין אִם הַנְּדוּנְיָא לֹא הִגִּיעַ לְיָדָהּ (טוּר בְּשֵׁם רַבֵּנוּ תָּם). וְכֵן אִם הָלַךְ הָאָב אוֹ שְׁלוּחֵי הָאָב עִם הַבַּעַל, וְנִכְנַס עִמָּהּ בַּדֶּרֶךְ לְחָצֵר וְנִתְיַחֵד עִמָּהּ שָׁם לְשֵׁם נִשּׂוּאִין, וּמֵתָה, הֲרֵי זֶה יִירָשֶׁנָּה בַּעֲלָהּ. אֲבָל אִם עֲדַיִן הָאָב עִם הַבַּעַל לְהוֹלִיכָהּ לְבֵית בַּעֲלָהּ, אוֹ שֶׁהָלְכוּ שְׁלוּחֵי הָאָב עִם שְׁלוּחֵי הַבַּעַל, אוֹ עִם הַבַּעַל, אֲפִלּוּ נִכְנַס הַבַּעַל עִמָּהּ לְחָצֵר לָלוּן כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁלָּנִין עוֹבְרֵי דְּרָכִים בְּפֻנְדָּק אֶחָד, הוֹאִיל וְהָאָב אוֹ שְׁלוּחָיו עִמָּהּ, וַעֲדַיִן לֹא נִתְיַחֵד עִמָּהּ לְשֵׁם נִשּׂוּאִין, אִם מֵתָה יִירָשֶׁנָּה אָבִיהָ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁנְּדוּנְיָתָהּ בְּבֵית בַּעֲלָהּ. וְכֵן אִם הָיְתָה בּוֹגֶרֶת אוֹ יְתוֹמָה אוֹ אַלְמָנָה, וְהָלְכָה הִיא בְּעַצְמָהּ מִבֵּית אָבִיהָ לְבֵית בַּעֲלָהּ, וְאֵין עִמָּהּ לֹא בַּעֲלָהּ וְלֹא שְׁלוּחָיו, וּמֵתָה בַּדֶּרֶךְ, אֵין הַבַּעַל יוֹרֵשׁ אוֹתָהּ. הַגָּה: וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים דִּבְחָצֵר שֶׁלּוֹ, אוֹ שֶׁל שְׁנֵיהֶם, סְתָם יִחוּד הָוֵי לְשֵׁם נִשּׂוּאִין (הָרַ"ן פֶּרֶק נַעֲרָה); וּבְחָצֵר שֶׁלָּהּ, אוֹ שֶׁאֵינָהּ שֶׁל שְׁנֵיהֶם, סְתָם יִחוּד הָוֵי לָלוּן (הַמַּגִּיד מִשְׁנֶה בְּשֵׁם הָרַמְבַּ"ן וְהָרַשְׁבָּ"א):

The husband precedes all others in the inheritance of his wife. At what point do his rights commence? When she leaves the domain of her father, even though she has not yet entered the chupah (i.e. she has not completed the final stage of marriage), since she is then under the authority of her husband, he inherits her. How? A woman who was engaged (i.e. completed the first stage of marriage) and her father handed her over to the husband or the agents of the husband, or the father's agents handed her over to the husband or his agents, and she then passed away on the way before entering chupah, even though the dowry is still in her father's house, the husband inherits her. Note: see supra end of chapter 53, and infra 118. And some authorities disagree if the dowry has not yet reached her hands (Tur in the name of Rabbenu Tam). Similarly, if the father or his agents went with the husband, and the husband entered a courtyard and secluded himself with her for the purposes of nisuin, and she then sided, the husband inherits her. But if the father accompanied the husband to take her to the husband's house, or the father's agents accompanied the husband or his agents, even if she and the husband entered a courtyard to sleep on the way as travelers sleep together in a single inn, since the father or his agents are with her, and the husband did not yet seclude with her for purposes of nisuin, if she then died, the father inherits her, even if the dowry is already in the house of her husband. The law is similar with an adult woman or an orphan or a widow, and she traveled from her father's house to her husband's house, and she was not accompanied by her husband or his agents, and she died on the way, the husband does not inherit her. Note: Some authorities say that if the courtyard belongs to the husband or to the two of them, the usual seclusion is viewed as being for purposes of nisuin (Ran chapter Na'arah). But in her courtyard or a courtyard not belonging to either of them, the usual seclusion is viewed as being for purposes of sleeping (Magid Mishna in the name of Rashba and Ramban).