legal union
Officially recognized joining
A legal union is a formally recognized relationship between two people, typically marriage or civil partnership, that confers specific rights and obligations under law.
The term often appears in debates about same-sex marriage, where advocates argued for legal union as a matter of civil rights.
Some jurisdictions created civil unions as an alternative to marriage, offering similar legal protections without the title.
- marriage licenseLegal authorization to wed
- marriage certificateLegal proof of wedlock
- matrimonyLegal union of spouses
- common lawJurisprudence from judicial decisions
- common law marriageUnion by cohabitation, not ceremony
contract · merger · partnership · confederation · spouse · marital rights · community property · joint custody · spousal rights · civil marriage · same-sex marriage · pact · statute · power of attorney · prenuptial agreement · family law · jurisdiction · marital bond
- wedding elementsbride, groom, wedding cake, wedding dress, dress
- gay marriagegay marriage, same-sex wedding, marriage equality, civil partnership, equal marriage
- marriage lawmarriage contract, divorce decree, marriage certificate, matrimony, divorce petition
- marriagebride, groom, wedding, husband, wife
- marriage termswedding, marriage, husband, wife, bride
legal unioncohabitation
Dwelling together unmarried
living together · domestic partnership · de facto relationship · shacking up · living in sin
legal uniondivorce
Legal end of matrimony
separation · legal separation · dissolution · annulment · singlehood