A religious civil union of two persons;
A legal union for the protection of children
In most European countries, no religious ceremony is recognized by the state. (True separation of church and state.) Therefore, all church weddings occur only after a state ceremony.
In the Netherlands, even gays may marry by the state even though the church doesn't recognize it.
A binding contract between a man and a woman to remain faithful to each other until death,usually taken in front of family,friends,etc but is still binding in front of a judge or pastor.
To have a succesful marriage,take "divorce " out of you vocabulary.