Marriages can be three things: legal, valid, and sacramental. A marriage is legal if it is recognized by the civil authorities. It is valid if it is a real marriage. It is sacramental if it is contracted between two baptized Christians. The Church presumes non-Christian marriages to be legal and valid. The marriages of two baptized Christians are presumed legal, valid, and sacramental. The reason Protestants can contract a valid and sacramental marriage is because marriage is a sacrament that is not conferred by a priest. It is conferred by the bride and groom upon each other. If both parties are baptized, they are capable of conferring and receiving the sacrament of matrimony.
