Cousins may marry and Alabama does allow for common law marriage. Alabama does not permit same sex marriages. A license is valid for 30 days. Alabama Department of Public Health can be reached at 334-613-5300. California requires photo identification but you do not have to live in the state to apply for marriage there. Family tree platters that show the joining of two families are a great way to offer a personalized accessory. A custom oil painting of the couple can really dress up a new living room, and contacted local artists or photo companies in the area can crate these. Personalized books and photo frames are also great marriage gifts that will be remembered for a lifetime. We need to grasp onto a rope to keep ourselves from drowning even on dry land. The trick to finding happiness in our own lives and that of our marriage is to get into the habit of looking for good things, instead of griping all day about everything that has gone wrong. Joy gives us a feeling of power and energy. In order for someone to become your friend, you need to like them. Learn to like each other for there many things that please you. Learn how to have fun with each other laugh together and use humor in healthy ways. It is always important to comfort, encourage, and affirm one another. When you are, a married couple learns to be independent stand on your own two feet as a couple and not be dependent either financially or emotionally on either of your parents. While the tradition continues in some cultures today, most modern marriages are based on romantic love, with couples deciding freely to marry. Many of the traditions surrounding contemporary weddings can be traced throughout the history of marriage. Wedding rings date as far back as Egyptian society, where the circle symbolized eternity. The reason why people sign marriage contracts in the first place is so that they can avoid a long period of litigation if their marriage breaks down. If the agreement is not fair to both parties (or even if one party feels that it is unfair), he or she can take the matter to court and ask a judge to set aside the marriage contract.