This part of the marriage ceremony would seem to be part of an older tradition in which the husband became the new owner of any property or valuables owned by the bride before her marriage. He would also have sole custody of any children they would have in the event that the marriage broke down in the future. In addition, according to the ancient Roman marriage traditions, she was expected to have absolutely no objections to the plans being made for her life. Some young ladies did have a bit of a say in which they would be married off to. Apparently, Cicero’s wife and daughter made the choice of spouse for the daughter, all the while assuming that Cicero would be in agreement. It’s not possible to just arrive in Vegas and expect to get married however. Even in this fun-filled city, there are formalities that have to be observed. Be prepared to wait in line (on some days a LONG line) for your marriage license for example – without this not even the drive-thru wedding chapel is going to marry you! Where many of us frown upon it and get angry at the thought of making someone marry someone they don’t want to marry, however we never really stop and think about the way the culture is. For many countries there is honor in the arranged marriage, their families are helping them choose whom to marry. But only a generation or two down and life is very different. Attitudes have relaxed. Social norms have changed. Love and marriage don’t have to go together – and with the more open society we live in accepting that we are free to love who we choose and not be restricted by gender, then in some cases it isn’t even legally possible for them to do so. Because the laws of all states that recognize common law marriage require death or formal divorce to dissolve a common law marriage, you are not skirting your obligations or the gravity of commitment by foregoing a formal wedding. All states that provide for common law marriage require that both parties be of majority age, 18 years old.