The History of Weddings

Before there were wedding bells and before preachers married men and women, in B.C.E a man who had intercourse with the woman became legally married to her. But, since the laws have changed, so now man and women must appear before a judge or preacher with two witnesses and a marriage license.

Some people believe that no one really knows the place or when the first marriage took place, but these people failed to recall that the first marriage was between Adam and Eve and it took place right there in the Garden of Eden.

We know that after the first man and woman sinned against God, men would start taking wives for themselves and in some cases 1000s of wives. Take King Solomon for example. God never permitted the taking of many wives, rather that was some bright ideal of men, but later God changed those laws and restored the rightful way that a man and woman should be married, i.e. man should have only one wife.

Nomadic tribes' years ago married in groups. Perhaps it was because at this time the entire group of people had to live closely together to avoid dangerous predators, such as the Saber-Tooth Lions. During this time, the men were hunted and killed while the women were kidnapped, so it makes since to assume that the marriage arrangements were grouped.

In biblical times, kin married each other, and this is because the earth did not have any other living souls or humans to fill the population as requested by God. He intended for man to grow in numbers originally, thus marrying brothers and sisters was not a big thing.

Again, the laws have changed since then. Now, brothers and sisters can no longer marry. Also, gay marriages were prohibited back then, but now man can marry another man, while women can marry other women although it is a serious sin against God and it is the exact reason that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

According to some perspectives during this time that incest became less likely since times were changing, it was then that marriage laws were recognized. But, the bible tells us that the Apostle Paul witnessed and reported the wedding in at the Cana in Galilee. During this time, the Virgin Mary was one of the attendees. Jesus disciples were there as well. Is it possible that the laws required two eyewitnesses then also? According to the bible, the first marriage took place in Paradise, the Garden of Eden and since then there has been many other weddings including royal weddings, traditional weddings, Las Vegas weddings, and so forth.

Despite which type of wedding you chose, all weddings should be dignified and joyful. However, in some events a couple may choose to marry in a private ceremony that fulfills all legal requirements. Thus, these types of weddings were looked down upon, since some people believed that the couple had something to hide, but it probably wasn't so. Regardless of which type of wedding people choose, they should keep joy and peace in view!

Janine Sinclair is an experienced writer on wedding related issues. For more advice on choosing wedding invitations or on any other wedding planning issue visit http://www.kardella.com