Marriage and family in Roman Society

Roman Marriage Many of the marriages in Rome were arranged by the parents of the couple. The favorite month for marriage was in June. The girl was often around thirteen years old at marriage, while the boy was a couple of years older on average. The bride would take her childhood toys and clothing and offer them to either the goddess Venus or to household gods called lares and penates. A pig would be sacrificed on the day of the wedding, and prayers would be made to Juno. The father of the bride would sign the marriage contract and gifts from the brides family would be given to the grooms family. The wedding day would end with the groom pretending to take the bride away from her mother as a remembrance of the legendary story of the Sabian women in early Rome.