Laws Concerning Marriage

A man and
woman must
follow certain
laws when they
marry.
The United States
and Canada have
basically the same
marriage laws.
Neither nation has
federal marriage
laws, but each
state and province
has its own
regulations.

In all except four states,
both the man and woman must
be at least 18 years old to
marry without parental consent.
Nebraska and Wyoming require
a couple to be at least 19.
Mississippi and Rhode Island
have a minimum age of 21.
Most states allow people to marry
as young as 16 with parental consent.
In some states, a person under age
16 needs a judge's permission to marry.

According to law, both the man and
woman must freely consent to marry.
If a person is forced or tricked into
marrying against his or her will, a
judge will annul (cancel) the marriage.

State laws prohibit close relatives from
marrying each other. Laws also forbid
a person to marry if he or she is married
to someone else. A person who marries
a second time while a first marriage is still
in effect commits the crime of bigamy.

Some states permit a couple to marry even
if the bride or groom cannot be present at
the wedding ceremony. However, another
person must serve as a proxy (substitute)
for the absent bride or groom.
This type of marriage is called marriage by proxy.

How much fun would that be?

If an unmarried couple live together as
husband and wife, a court may declare
them married after a certain period of time.
The time period varies among the states
that permit such common-law marriages.
It is usually several years. A couple do
not have to have a license or wedding
ceremony for a common-law marriage.

Again I ask, how fun is that, without any celebration!