History of marriage in the Church

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can someone get me a comprehensive history of marriage and the Church? It is my understanding that the Early Christians were only married by civil authorities. Why wasn’t there a need for marriages to be consecrated by ordained ministers? I have tried researching about it, but have come up with some confusing answers.
 
thanks. it is clear that early Christians recognized marriage as a sacrament. it seems though that marriages were conducted by civil authorities, no?
 
My understanding is that sometimes natural marriages were accepted as sacramental because some Catholics lived in places where access to a priest was difficult.

This led to many problematic situations where couples split up with one partner saying “no, we were never married!” and thereby taking off with matrimonial goods, etc. And then shacking up with another partner, in effect committing bigamy. That’s one reason the Church insists on marriages being witnessed properly.
 
Marriage was usually seen as secular affair, but Christians were to obey the Commands of God in it, no matter this nature.
 
wouldn’t that therefore lend itself to the belief that a valid marriage doesn’t necceseeraly have to be consecrated by the church. Gregory Illuminator and some other church fathers were married and weren’t married by priest.
coupled with the fact that Christians did not take fornication lightly is seems that there was some official “proof” or litmus test for marriage.
 
garegin_asatrya said:
wouldn’t that therefore lend itself to the belief that a valid marriage doesn’t necceseeraly have to be consecrated by the church.
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In the West, yes of course. That is exactly what the Church teaches. However, currently by law Catholics must contract marriage in the Catholic form [or be dipsensed by their bishop] for validity.

In the East and Orthodoxy, not so.
 
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