Re: wear an herbal bouquet (lavender;-)

Marriage was originally for the production of children, and so those children were the legitimate offspring, (as much as possible) of the married couple, and the security and protection of those children and their mothers. It was also a way of consolidating wealth and assets between families, and even countries. It was also used between countries as a form of diplomacy.

The idea of romantic love and love marriages, is a fairly recent thing, (read 18th century or there abouts), along with the sentimentalisation of childhood.

I believe that marriage was more a way to control men than women. It is designed to make men accept responsibility for their offspring and provide for them. It was also a way of gaining wealth, as women and children were seen as the property of the man. For women it was more about oppression and slavery than control.

IMHO marriage today is a bit redundant, a quaint notion that people need to show others that they are commited to each other and their children. These days its unnecessary as we have laws in place that make sure that men take responsibility for their offspring, and women are now mostly independant of men financially and do not need the protection of men. This is true in Western societies, but doesn't hold true in many other cultures.

My own parents had an arranged marriage, this was done by their families, but ended up being a strong and very loving marriage.

spud