Marriage bond

[3] Marriage banns were similar in practice although usually lacked the explicit financial guarantees.

[4] The person who co-signed the marriage bond was called the guarantor, security, bondsman[5] or surety,[2] and was often a relative of the prospective groom or bride.

[2][6] In parts of Great Britain, those who wanted to circumvent a reading of the banns for the traditional three weeks could apply for a marriage license, which required an allegation of legality and/or a bond.

[8][7] Upper and Lower Canada required marriage bonds if the wedding was to be performed by someone other than a Catholic or Anglican officiant.

[9] Some southern and mid-Atlantic U.S. states carried the colonial practice of using marriage bonds forward into the mid-1800s.