This is one of my favorite movies of all time.
But I digress.
I studied marriage in the ancient Roman, ancient Jewish, and early Christian cultures to find out when, exactly, a marriage was historically found to be valid.
In ancient Rome, there were three types of marriage. The first, marriage by usus, was declared valid if a couple merely lived together for one year. There was no ceremony involved. The second, marriage by coemptio, was more formal and was held under a ceremony in front of witnesses. The third, marriage by confarreatio, was preferred by the wealthiest, and was held under an extremely elaborate ceremony with a priest and witnesses. All were monogamous.
In ancient Judaism, marriages were dictated by the fathers of the couple. A betrothal ceremony was held, and then the marriage ceremony. While the couple was betrothed, they were legally married, but did not live with each other, nor had they consummated their marriage. They were officially married when they moved in together and consummated the marriage.
In early and medieval Christianity, a marriage was recognized as valid only by the Church. The Church was the ultimate authority, and no one could be married unless it was by, and in, the Church. Marriage was reserved as a sacrament of the Church and was, therefore, sacred and holy. A marriage was seen as a mutual consent between the two partners.
In each of these, the way a marriage is viewed to be valid reveals the views on marriage itself. For the Romans, marriage was a convenience or a display of status and wealth. For the Jews, marriage was a business deal in which procreation and carrying on of the family name was of utmost importance. For the early and medieval Christians, marriage was a religious sacrament and viewed as holy and eternal.
The way I view marriage today is as a declaration of love and commitment to your partner. Like the Impressive Clergyman (really, that's what the credits say), says in The Princess Bride, "And wuv...twuue wuv...will fowwow you...foweverr...So twesure your wuv..."
SOURCES:
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/life/Relationships/Spouses_and_Partners/About_Marriage/Ancient_Jewish_Marriage.shtml
http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/ATLAS_EN/html/history_of_marriage_in_western.html
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