Front Matter
From WeDoMarriage.org - World's First Couple Marriage Contract Wiki
As you might expect, the first page of your Marriage Contract contains your names and signatures. You sign our names only after you both agree to its contents – and even then the contract does not come into affect.
That happens within an agreed commencement period in the future, which typically begins about 90 days after the contract is agreed and signed.
Contract Title
In the sample below the contract is named Contract of Marriage. But it's up to you, the couple, to choose the title you think most appropriate for your contract.
Other examples might include Marriage Contract, Contract of Love or Commitment or Loving Union. You decide. Whatever title you choose, the contract is usually called the 'Agreement' in the contract itself.
Contract Agreement Date
This is the date on which you both agree to the terms of your marriage contract and sign your names to it.
By and Between
This is where you each write your name – your first name, middle name and last name – in block letters. Also, each of you enters what is known as your 'short name'. This is the name you will be known as in the remainder of the contract.
You need not enter your address or other identifying details here because these are covered in the Exhibit called Declaration of Identity and Residence.
Commencement Period
After the contract has been agreed and signed, a stated time must pass before it can come into effect. In financial contracts, this is sometimes known as the cooling-off period.
Its purpose is to give both parties the opportunity to reflect fully on what they have agreed before they make the final commitment to proceed with it.
At your wedding you will sign a further document, named the Declaration of Solemnization, which brings the contract you have both agreed and signed into life.
You are unlikely to want to leave the offer of the contract open indefinitely. That is why the Commencement Period also includes a latest end date as well as an earliest start date. Typically, the Commencement Period extends from 90 to 120 days after the contract has been agreed and signed.
Your Signatures
Finally, at near the bottom of the first page, you each sign your names.
