charlieprk
Commoner
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2012
- Messages
- 35
- City
- Orlando
- Country
- United States
I did not know that the US recognizes religious weddings-in Austria you need a civil marriage (which is usually a very plain event,you just have to sign the papers and than the civil servant will say a few words about marriage or love)-most people chose a civil marriage and than a religious one in a church or a fancy wedding party with lots of guests and celebration.
If you only have a religious wedding,it is as if you have never married at all.Which means that you have no right to inherit,get alimony or be allowed to enter your partners flat after he has died among other things.
So you can get married only religious but it is only a promise of love without any legal consequences.
This is fascinating to me! So, in Austria, if you want your religious marriage to be legal, you would have to have two weddings? What a pain! I can see why most just opt for a civil service.
In the US, religious leaders (Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, etc) are granted powers by the State when they are ordained. The couple goes and applies for a Marriage License. Once they have the License, they can get married at the court in a civil ceremony or go to their place of worship and have the ceremony there. In the civil wedding, the clerk or judge will sign the license. In the religious service, the religious leader will sign the license. The license is then mailed in to the county clerk's office to be copied and registered and then the original document is returned to the couple in the mail.