[AlumiuN]

Originally Posted by El Quia

I don't know how it is where you live, but here only the "Juez de Paz" (I don't know how to translate it: Peace judge?) can marry people in what is known as "casamiento por civil" (something like civil marriage, meaning that the marriage was made by the Civil registry. Used in oposition to a "church marriage"). Only when you have been married this way, you can be married by any other ceremony you wish. Thing is, only the civil marriage has legal value here, and most of the religions here only accept to marry you after you have been married by the state.

Thing is, most people do both ceremonies: the civil and the religious one (usually catholics, being it the stronger religion here), although lately the second ceremony is celebrated more because of tradition than because of religious belief (at least where I live, one of the most metropolitan zone of my country. At other places, religious belief and church "loyalty" are stronger).

I hope I have explained it clearly. And I hope I haven't misunderstood you, meanig that all this explaination wasn't necessary, jojojo.

Ah. Here, the only official one IIRC is the religious one. There is a 'civil union', but that's reserved almost exclusively for lesbians.