Civil marriage

This institution was canceled in England with the enactment of the Marriage Act 1753, which required that, in order to be valid and registered, all marriages were to be performed in an official ceremony in a religious setting recognized by the state, i.e. Church of England, the Quakers, or in a Jewish ceremony.

Children born into unions that were not valid under the act would not automatically inherit the property or titles of their parents.

Consequently, until 1940, it continued to be enough in Scotland for a man and a woman to pledge their commitment to each other in front of witnesses to legalize their marriage.

In 1566, the edict of the Council of Trent was proclaimed denying Catholics any form of marriage not executed in a religious ceremony before a priest and two witnesses.

The Protestant pastor and theologian of Geneva, John Calvin, decreed that in order for a couple to be considered married they must be registered by the state in addition to a church ceremony.

German Grand-Duchies such as Oldenburg (1852/55, optional), Baden (1860), and Hesse (1860) as well as the Kingdom of Württemberg (1863) followed suit.

Reference must not be made to God or any deity, or to a particular religion or denomination: this is strictly enforced, and readings and music in the ceremony must be agreed upon in advance.

All states and the District of Columbia, as well as U.S. territories, require a marriage license issued by local civil authorities.

As a rule, ministers of religion (e.g. rabbis or Christian pastors) are authorized in law to perform marriages; various state or local officials, such as a mayor, judge, deputy marriage commissioner, or justice of the peace, are also empowered to conduct civil wedding ceremonies, which may take place in public offices.

Many counties in Pennsylvania allow self-uniting marriages for which no official minister is required, owing to the state's Quaker heritage.

[14] Contrary to the situation in Lebanon, Israeli law recognizes any marriage conducted from abroad, even remotely by video-conference where the parties don't leave Israel.