MARRIAGE - A WOMAN'S FIRST BEST WORLD

     Physical attraction, mutual admiration of intelligence and other traits, geographical propinquity, parental suggestions, uncontrolled circumstances, a romantic night with a full moon above.  a novel atmosphere, chance meetings, love match-making and  other traditional or modern, simple or sophisticated strategies bring about that exquisite attraction between a man and a woman to a point that mutual desires for life-sharing result.  From casual meetings, love blossoms during a period of courtship where one stimulates the other to sexual activities such as holding hands, kissing, petting and other amorous acts with sexual intercourse as the ultimate.  And then, the trap is set by any of the parties and when the bait works, the ultimate union results - marriage.

      "Marriage is a special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life.  It is the foundation of the family and an inviolable social institution whose nature, consequences and incidents are governed by law and not subject to stipulations, except that marriage settlements may fix the property relations during the marriage within the limits provided by the Family Code (529, 1987)."

      Marriage has certain requisites which must always be present, to be valid.  These essential requisites are:
      
      -legal capacity of the contracting parties (they must be male and female)
      - consent freely given in the presence of a solemnizing officer.
      
      The formal requisites are:
      a) authority of the solemnizing officer
      b) a valid marriage license
      c) a marriage ceremony which takes place with the appearance of the contracting parties before a solemnizing officer and their personal declarations that they take each other as husband or wife in the presence of not less than two witnesses of legal age.