What is Marriage?

I've come across a ton of ariticles and thoughts about marriage and one even depicts a very interesting modern image ....

Wether that's what marriage has become or not.... here are some interesting backgrounds:
- The ritual of the father of the bride handing her over to the groom - it goes back to the old concept of a female never being out of a male's jurisdiction! Yep, that's the truth, and the whole truth!
- The ritual of tying the knot - it goes back to the old concept of having a leash tied around the female! Sounds horrid - well.... that's what it was!
- The wife was the property of the husband and was expected to burn in the same pyre as the husband - Sati!

The current concept of marriage is blurring the lines... same sex marriage, live in relations to test the strength before marrying... all said & done, marriage is an institution as old as the human race! The meaning just changed! Who ever heard of a prenuptial agreement and divorces & annulments before the first anniversary! Well.. that is the current concept!

This is just an ongoing thought... marriage needs to be an understanding between two consenting adults... Whats your say?