Marriage and the
Law
Marriage is a legal, as well as a spiritual partnership. Before
Marriage was recognized by the church as a 'sacrament' by the
Council of Florence in 1208, it was already, for millennia, a legal
status - a civil (legal) union between a two people establishing a
family - and recognizing the rights and privileges of two people,
in a marriage, to share property, to live exclusively as partners,
and to raise children together.
Marriage is governed by state law, and each state has slightly
different requirements for contracting a marriage. Common to all
states is the requirement that, to enter into a legal marriage, the
couple must obtain a Marriage License, and must exchange vows in
some formula that indicates that the couple intends to 'take' each
other as husband and wife.
What follows is a summary of the Marriage and Civil Union laws of
the states of NY, CT, and NJ. If you are planning to marry
elsewhere, it is important that you check the law of the state
where you intend to marry, and obtain a license from it.