[carlosjobim]

Of course it was a huge consideration, as adultery was taken very seriously. And still is in some parts of the world.

> That would be called "a wedding".

That would be called a secret wedding, a very popular trope in old romance novels.

[ThrownOffGame]

Clandestine weddings have presented a huge problem for Church and State authorities at various points in space and time.

A clandestine wedding would often leave significant doubt about the facts of the ritual, the participants, and their actual state of mind. In most places it really is not legal to conduct a clandestine wedding without strict regulation and some sort of documentation, before and after the fact.

No officiant: invalid. No witnesses: invalid. Prior bond: invalid. Duress or coercion: invalid. These are all really, really important reasons for public ceremonies attended by, essentially, randos off the street.