quote:
Originally posted by Wednesday:
True. I'll clarify.

When I was married in a Catholic Church, we were legally married immediately afterwards (we exited the Church hall, walked into a smaller room, signed some papers, and were legally married). The priest was allowed to provide the final signature that legally bound us.

What I'm asking, is what if the two were arbitrarily separated. What if two people who were married under the Christian faith were not allowed a legal marriage? Would anyone here fight this on legal grounds?
Ah okay. I was confused because at my sister's wedding, it was me, not the celebrant (he was not Catholic, my family is also Baptist and Protestant) that signed the marriage contract. And I know several couples that were legally married and years later were married in a church wedding.

Well you would probably need a legal marriage for several reasons (tax benefits, legal issues, children custody, etc etc etc). So it would make sense to have the legal marriage contract. Isn't the divorce rate around %50? I hope I don't ever get divorced (screwed up too many loved ones as of late) but you need legal protection.

(Does anyone know in detail the good/bad things about legal marriages? I'd like to learn more.)