alth.
             The wedding ceremony in Rome was always preceded by a choice of husband. A girl was deemed ready for marriage at the tender age of twelve. Most boys were considered ready at the age of fourteen. The marriage was considered null if the pair was married before they had reached the age requirement. In higher social classes, the father's arranged the marriages. Both the boy and girl were expected to agree with their father's decision. It was acceptable, however, for the girl to confide in her mother and reveal if she was satisfied with her father's choice or not. The mother was then allowed to express her daughter's feelings to her husband for the choice he had made. Betrothal sometimes happened in infancy. There were certain limitations to this though and Roman law required that the children must be able to understand what was happening, and they must be at least seven years of age.
             There were three forms of marriage in Rome. Each contained the similar idea that the wife passed from the authority of her father to the submission of her husband. The first form of marriage was a primitive bride-purchase. In the presence of five witnesses, the bridegroom would make a fictitious purchase and then pay the father of the bride a penny for it and, in exchange, received his bride. The second form of marriage was a cohabitation of a man and woman. This marriage, of course, must be declared honorable from the beginning so that the marriage was not confused with a man and his concubine. In this case, the husband did not have full authority over his wife until a y
             ...