Some Interesting Facts about Weddings and Marriages

The ceremony wherein two people become united in marriage is known as a wedding – their life together thereafter is known as a marriage.

Marriage laws in South Africa
There are three laws that currently provide for the status of marriage in South Africa. These laws are:

• The Marriage Act (Act 25 of 1961);
• The Customary Marriages Act (Act 120 of 1998), which provides for the civil registration of marriages solemnised according to the traditions of indigenous tribes;
• The Civil Union Act (Act 17 of 2006).

South Africans have the choice of by which of these laws they wish to be married. However, they may be married in terms of only one law at any given time.