marriage
legal union of a couple
premarital relationship
dating
premarital pregnancy
childbirth prior to marriage
consensual
voluntary agreement between two parties
cohabitation
living together outside of marriage
annulment
the law views a previous act or contact was invalid and consequently null and void and to have never have existed
common-law marriage
State considers a couple to be married when a couple lives together for a specific period of time, has marital relations and holds themselves to be married even though no marriage license was obtained
civil unions
same-sex marriages
marital consortium
mutual obligations of wife and husband undertaken to fulfill the purposes of their union
adoption
the legal process that creates a parent-child relationship
prenuptial agreement
a contract drawn up by a couple before they are married to handle their property and income should they ever go their separate ways
voidable marriage
results from a problem that existed from the beginning of a supposed union
void marriage
creates no rights and duties for either parted and is considered invalid from the beginning
bigamist
someone who marries one person while already legally married to another
divorce
the legal dissolution of a marriage
dissolution
the termination of a relationship
no-fault divorce
a divorce granted without either party having to prove the other party guilty of misconduct
irreconcilable differences
a requirement for divorce or dissolution of marriage in some states with no fault divorce laws; there is no reasonable expectation of reconciliation
separation
spouses maintain separate living quarters
child custody
involves the guardianship of a child and the authority to make decisions about the child's welfare and upbringing
child support
court-ordered support paid by one spouse to the other who has custody of the children after the parents are separated
alimony
court-ordered support paid by one spouse to another after they are separated
decree of dissolution of marriage
judgment in the form of a court order that officially declares that the marriage is over