25 Different Types of Marriages

Why We Have Different Types of Marriages

From generation to generation, the world over, the purpose for which people enter into marriage is constantly changing.  We all know that the purpose of marriage in recent years is far different from what it was a couple of centuries ago.

Today, people get married to each other majorly for love and passion whereas, in the past, marriage is majorly for security; in a world with limited opportunity, marriage is a big part of making decisions in making sure one had some stability in the future.

This is one of the reasons why families are the chief decision-makers regarding the choice of a life partner centuries ago.

Even today it is crystal clear that marriage differs from culture to culture – this is so since different types of marriages have evolved over time. Recently, a large number of couples marry for love and some for personal gains.

How many types of marriages are there?

Since there are diverse and twisted purposes of marriage, it is important that know about the different types of marriage we have in our societies today. This article explains the 25 different types of marriage you should be informed about.

What Are The Different Types of Marriages?

Diversity in the purpose of the marriage and how the relationship between two people is defined is the reason for the types of marriages.

We are going to explain the 25 different types of marriages so you’ll know the types of marriages in which you are or which one to choose. Below are the 25 different types of marriages:

1. Civil And Religious Marriage

This is often the commonest type of marriage. The reality of civil and religious marriage is that two different types of marriages are combined into one.

Marriage is regarded as civil marriage when it is recognized by the state, whereas a religious marriage is when the recognition is received from a religious body, such as the church.

This is what happens in most marriages – a lot of couples want government recognition for their marriage and as well want the validation of the religions community they belong to.

2. Interfaith Marriage

Since faith or religion is an important aspect of our lives, it is usually a big contributing factor to the types of marriages many people get into.

Centuries ago, same-faith marriage was the norm but as time progressed, people from diverse religions began to come together in the marriage union.

This is a type of marriage is known as interfaith marriage – A situation whereby people from two different religions get married is called an interfaith marriage.

3. Common-Law Marriage

A situation whereby two people have decided that they are married and live together like husband and wife but without a marriage license or marriage certificate from the registry and it also lacks recognition from a religious body is known as a common-law marriage.

In order words, the types of marriage that lack the characteristics of both legal marriage and religious marriage are common law marriage.

These types of marriages are accepted as a form of marriage in some states and countries but are invalid in some states and countries.

Read Also: What Is Common Law Marriage – States, Rights & Requirements

4. Monogamous Marriage

The most common and widely accepted type of marriage all over the world is monogamous marriage. It is when two people are married to each other without getting emotionally or sexually involved with anyone else outside the marriage.

It is widely accepted because it is one of the types of marriage that encourages sexual and emotional fidelity to a single partner. Any occurrence of infidelity from a partner can be a ground to render the marriage invalid by the other partner.

5. Polygamous Marriage

Polygamous marriage is a type of marriage in which people have more than one official partner. In recent years, a polygamous marriage has become less common as in contradiction to several hundred years ago when it used to be the norm.

Polygamous marriage is generally classified into two types – polygyny marriage and polyandry marriage.

Polygyny is when a man chose to have more than one wife, while polyandry is when the woman married more than one husband at the same time. The former is less common compared to the former.

6. Left-Handed or Morganatic Marriage

A morganatic or left-handed marriage is when two people from unequal social rankings get together in a union of marriage.

It is called a morganatic or left-handed marriage because society perceived the couple as unfit for each other due to the large margins in their social status.

7. Secret Marriage

As the name indicates, a secret marriage occurs when two people exchange marriage vows without making it known to their family, friends and society. It is a type of marriage hidden from society, friends, and family.

8. Shotgun Marriage

Usually, a relationship goes through many phases such as dating and courtship before it gets to the wedding.

However, the type of marriage which occur when a couple chooses to get married because of an unplanned pregnancy is known as a shotgun marriage

Commonly, several societies and cultures disregard having kids out of wedlock – some cultures and religions regard a child born before marriage as a bastard.

Consequently, some people may decide to get married to save their reputation or avoid bringing shame and embarrassment to their families.

9. Mixed Marriage

A mixed marriage is a type of marriage also known as interracial marriage. A mixed marriage is one of the types of marriage that is gaining popularity currently.

Until recent times, people give preference to marrying someone from their own race. However, people from diverse races come together nowadays in the union of marriage.

10. Same-Sex Marriage

Usually, people get married to persons of the opposite sex, but a situation when people of the same sex come together to get married is called same-sex marriage.

A man marries a man, and a woman marries a woman – as opposed to the societal idea that only a man and woman can get married.

Same-sex marriage is becoming common in recent times and it equally revels in some level of acceptance in society.

Although it is not generally accepted as other types of marriage in sociology, same-sex marriages have been deemed legal in several parts of the world.

Men that marry another man or engage in physical intimacy with another man are called gay and equally, women that marry other women or engage in physical intimacy are called lesbians.

11. Love Marriage

Love marriages are the types of marriages in which people decided to get married mainly because they love each other. Usually, couples in these types of marriages meet each other, fall in love, and decided that marriage is likely the most reasonable step they can take next.

12. Arranged Marriage

Arranged marriages are a contrasting form of love marriages. It is when the family take up the responsibility of finding a suitable match for an eligible single, bearing in mind factors such as race, religion, caste, and any other specifics that they might have.

Arranged marriage is becoming less common in recent times as singles are allowed to choose a partner for themselves based on love as opposed to centuries ago when single don’t have the liberty to choose a life partner for themselves because of financial or other benefits the marriage might bring to the family

13. Convenience Marriage

As the name suggests, a marriage of convenience or a convenience marriage is when two people get married for reasons other than love. The reasons usually are those that bring convenience to their lives. These reasons can be practical, or financial.

Read Also: What Is Marriage of Convenience Why It Doesn’t Work?

14. Zombie Marriage

This type of marriage is formed when a couple in a marriage are docile and nice to each other in the presence of other people or in public and are perceived to be married but they are technically separated.

Couples involved in these types of marriages do not share any sort of relationship behind closed doors.

Sometimes, it can get to a point where the couple is not even sure if they both are really married in the essence of their relationship.

15. Group Marriage

This might sound absurd because it is less common but does actually exist. In these types of marriages, one or more men are married to one or more women.

This marriage type is different from a polygamous marriage for, in this case, a group of people is married to each other, while in a polygamous marriage, a person just has multiple spouses.

16. Parenting Marriage

Among the different forms of marriage that are very widespread at the present time is called parenting marriage. This is when two people decide to stay married to each other for the sake of their kids.

Couples in these kinds of marriages wait for the children to grow up, and become independent before they separate or file for a divorce.

17. Safety Marriage

This is a form of marriage which occurs for the reason that something tangible, mostly materialistic, is decided to be given in return. These terms are decided before marriage.

18. Open Marriage

Open marriage is another type of marriage that is becoming prevalent recently.

It is when two people who are officially married are allowed to see other people outside the marriage. It is a mutual agreement between two spouses.

Watch this video to understand more about open marriages:

19. Court Marriage

A court marriage is when the couple skips the traditional ceremony, and directly applies for a marriage certificate from the court.

20. Time-Bound Marriage

This type of marriage is when the agreement of marriage is bound by time. The couple decides that they will only stay married to each other for a specific time period after which they can go their separate ways.

21. The Partnership

In this type of marriage or in this form of marriage, the husband and wife act a lot like business partners. They are equals in so many ways.

Most likely, they both work full-time jobs and share a lot of household and child-rearing responsibilities equally.

In these types of marriages, the couples are interested in contributing their half in order to make a more cohesive whole. If you are in this type of relationship, you’ll feel out of balance when the other person isn’t doing the same things you are doing.

So if you feel like you need to have different roles, you’ll need to really dissect it and negotiate until you both feel you are still on equal footing.

This applies to all aspects of the marriage—even the romance part. You must both be making equal efforts in this area.

22. The Independents

People who have these types of marriages want autonomy. They more or less live separate lives alongside each other.

Couple in this type of marriage don’t feel like they need to agree on everything because each person’s thoughts and feelings are separate from their own and valuable in their own right.

They give each other room to be who they want to be; they may even spend their free time apart. When it comes to doing things around the house, they tend to work separately in their areas of interest and on their timetables.

They may have less physical togetherness than other couples but feel just as fulfilled. People who enjoy these types of marriages will feel stifled if their spouse is too needy or wants to be together all the time.

Just know that an independent isn’t pulling away because they don’t love you—they just need to have that independent space.

Check out this video of a couple talking about maintaining individuality and independence while being married:

23. The degree seekers

A couple in this type of marriage ceremony is in it to learn something. Many times the husband and wife in this relationship are quite different—even opposites.

One could be good at something, and the other not so much, and vice versa.

So they each possess skills the other would like to develop. In essence, marriage is like a school of life.

They are constantly learning from each other. They find it very stimulating to watch how other lives and handles themselves in different situations.

Over time, they begin to pick up on their spouse’s skills and feel good about that process as it unfolds.

If they ever feel like they are no longer learning anything from their spouse, they may feel disillusioned; so keep things fresh by constantly learning and growing for yourself, and so you can offer something to your degree-seeking spouse.

24. The “traditional” roles

This is the type of marriage depicted in old TV shows. The wife stays at home and takes care of the house and kids; the husband goes to work and comes home and reads the paper or watches TV.

The wife has clearly defined roles, and the husband has clearly defined roles, and they are different.

In multiple marriages, when the husband and wife find joy in their roles and are supported by the other, it works well. But when the roles aren’t fulfilled, or their roles overlap, there can be resentment or loss of self.

25. The companionship

In this alternative marriage, the husband and wife want a life-long friend. Their relationship is familiar and loving. They are really after someone to share their life with—someone to be by their side through everything.

There is less independence in this marriage, and that’s ok. They appreciate a lot of togetherness.

Wrap It Up!

We hope this article was able to answer the question, “What are the different types of marriages?”

While there are various other types of marriages apart from the ones mentioned here, the truth is that different marriages occur due for different reasons. Marriage types are, therefore, defined based on these reasons.

There is no definite answer to the question, “How many types of marriage do we have?” but these are the most common types of marriages.