History of the Roman Wedding

-Marriage in Rome was usually not an expression of love, but a practical arrangement between families or groups of people.
   -Actual love in a marriage was rare and often seen as humorous. 
      -Love was a concept for poets and philosophers.
-Two kinds of marriage:
   -One was for the woman to be the property of her husband.
   -The other was for the woman to still be property of her father (unless he was dead, then she was possibly free and independent!  This was known as a "free marriage").
-For the transfer of the woman as property: three kinds of weddings-
   -Elaborate and formal.
   -Less formal, but still had a ceremony.
   -Common-law marriage that occurred if a man and a woman lived together for at least a year.
-Roman girls were eligible for marriage at age 12, men at 14.
   -Men could marry women at any age, but it was taboo for a woman to marry a younger man.
      -It was shocking when Augustus married Scribonia (his first wife), who was much older than him.
-Marriage was arranged by the patriarchs of the families.
-To be married under Roman law, the bride and groom had to be old enough, had to be Roman citizens, and not be married to someone else.
   -Polygamy was not allowed, nor was marriage to foreigners.
      -Augustus used this to attack Marc Antony's character when he was with Cleopatra in Egypt but was still married to Octavia (who was back in Rome).
-Originally it wasn't cool for a patriarch to marry a pleb, but over time this changed and it was just more about family line distinction. 
   -This was especially noted by how many offices your family members had held.
-Personal character was actually surprisingly important concerning marriage selection as well.
   -A charismatic, natural leader would have an advantage over like some lazy drunk.
   -A woman was expected to be dutiful, loyal, and obedient.  Of course, beauty was also important, too.
-It was common for couples to have engagement parties.  Brides also got engagement rings, worn on the ring finger of their left hand.
-Ceremonies and receptions were usually held at the father of the bride's house.
-June was considered the best month for a wedding, but not on the 1st, 5th, or 13th of ANY month, and February and May were considered unlucky as well.
   -At least 10 witnesses were required to participate in the wedding ceremony.
-The bride wore all white with a floral veil and some other shit.
-The ceremony involved standing in front of a priest exchanging vows, making a sacrifice (usually a pig or animal, but sometimes they would also destroy a cake or something).
   -After the ceremony there was usually a procession to the new husband's home, where the husband would meet the bride and sometimes pick her up and carry her inside the home.  Then there would be a huge party and the bride and groom would go off to go consummate the marriage in the wedding bed.