Marriage is, as we know, an important event in all cultures, ancient as well as modern, and one which gets lots of attention from all parties, involved as well as bystanders. What if we could gather our resources and knowledge and see if we could come up with something for this thread ;)... ok, so I´ll boldly lounge myself into a little beginning of sorts:

In ancient Egypt there were no marriage or bethrotal ceremonies such as we know them, but from the 7th century and throughout history including the Late Period, a marriage contract about property and economics was often drawn up among the elite between a woman´s father and the husband. It stated the year of the ruling king, names of the husband and wife, names of their parents, the husband´s occupation or origin. Then the name of the scribe who drew up the contract and the names of the witnesses. Then came the details of the settlement.

So how did this look in practicality? Were there really no festivities, no parties at all, did the couple just move in with each other and started living, or? Did it vary between different levels of society? Were young people allowed to marry by their own choice, or to what extent (if any) did the parents decide? How can we get a better understanding of the factors involved when a young man or woman was to chose a life partner?