Common law marriage requirements are listed below for all states that recognize such a union: Alabama – mental capacity to enter into agreement; agree to be married and consummation of the relationship Colorado – present yourself as married and cohabitate Iowa – intend to be and stay married, continuous cohabitation and public declaration of marriage Kansas – mental capacity and legal ability to marry, agree to marry and publicly represent that you are married Montana – capacity to consent, agree to marry, cohabitate and have a reputation of being married Oklahoma – competency, agree to marry and cohabitate Pennsylvania – verbal exchange of agreement to marry and a plan to stay married Rhode Island – serious intent to stay married and conduct of a married couple South Carolina – represent yourself as a married couple Texas – signed form at their local county clerk’s office, agree to marry, cohabitate and behave as husband and wife Utah – capable of giving consent and a reputation of being married Washington, D. Making sure the kids have a healthy home environment to grow and play in is vital. They need to feel secure when everything else around them feels so new and different. Second marriages can and do succeed, despite any setbacks the previous marriage or marriages may have encountered. When kids are involved, there are many positive ways to help them and let them grow. Along a similar line to arranged marriages there are a number of people who take it upon themselves to facilitate the legal immigration of a person from outside a country by offering themselves for marriage. Love and marriage doesn’t come into this situation at all – usually it’s nothing more than a cold financial deal between two adults who are attempting to beat the system. You could propose to your beloved underwater on a snorkeling trip, or at the top of a mountain covered in either spring flowers or snow. You could do it yourself, or you could organize for someone else – such as a look-alike celebrity or local personality – to do it on your behalf. You could give your marriage proposal at the end of a long monologue, or you could just place the ring somewhere she’ll find it at a nice dinner in an expensive restaurant and explain yourself when she finds it. Sometimes it helps to have a third party involved so that conflict can be managed effectively with another perspective. Learning how to cope with stress during marital conflict is important when you want to save your marriage. This can mean taking a break, finding social support, or working directly on the problem together. Once again, the bride becomes part of her new husband’s household. Alternatives to Marriage Some women, known as concubines, had sexual relationships with a married man. They oftentimes would live together. Any children of their union were considered illegitimate, since their own relationship was not legitimate.