Civil weddings are legal ceremonies performed by government officials, while religious weddings are performed by religious representatives. Civil marriage differs from secular marriage, which can be officiated by anyone with legal permission. Different regions have varying laws regarding civil marriage, with some requiring a civil ceremony before a religious one. The traditional civil wedding is short and simple and usually takes place in a courthouse or city building. There is tension over what constitutes marriage, with some religious groups not recognizing civil marriages or same-sex marriages. Some remote areas have no registry office or civil marriage, and couples undergo traditional ceremonies instead.
A civil wedding is performed by a government official and recognized as a legal ceremony by the government. It is contrasted to a religious wedding, where a representative of a religious group presides. Civil marriage is also different from obtaining a license to marry and can differ from secular marriage, which is performed by any individual, religious or not, with legal permission from a state to officiate a wedding ceremony. In some regions, people can become marriage officiants upon request via the Internet, and can then preside over weddings and legally sign any documents assuring that a marriage has taken place.
Different laws govern civil marriage in the individual regions. In some countries, people are required to undergo a short civil ceremony before any type of religious ceremony. Once the civil marriage has taken place, there is usually no need to have any other form of ceremony, but if a couple wants religious recognition of the marriage, they would have a second marriage in a church, mosque, temple or elsewhere with a representative of their religion who presides.
In other regions, a religious ceremony must take place before a civil wedding. State-recognized marriage serves as a way of registering marriage. In places like the United States, couples have the option of a civil, religious, or secular marriage. Most couples must obtain a license before the wedding ceremony so that it is recognized as legal, but then they can choose who will officiate. The marriage is legally recognized after the ceremony has taken place and the necessary documents have been filed.
The traditional civil wedding ceremony takes place in a public place such as a courthouse. Justices or justices of the peace are the most common officiants. Some of these government representatives, as they are licensed by the state to perform weddings, travel and will marry the couples at the location of their choice. On the other hand, most often weddings take place in city or city buildings and are simple and short.
There has been tension over the question of what constitutes marriage, and these arguments still resonate. Organizations such as the Catholic Church do not recognize civil marriage and insist that couples must be married by the church, thus receiving the sacrament of marriage. Today, one of the biggest issues in places like the United States is who has the legal right to marry. Some states perform civil and/or religious marriages between same-sex couples, but these marriages are not recognized by other states and most states ban them completely. Even many religious groups do not recognize these unions.
Some remote areas of the world have no form of registry office or civil marriage. Couples wishing to get married simply declare their intentions or undergo culturally traditional wedding ceremonies. Larger governments tend to discourage this and want official records for census purposes and for things like taxation.
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