Now a marriage license and a marriage certificate are two different things, and some jurisdictions do make them optional because those jurisdictions recognize d

Now a marriage license and a marriage certificate are two different things, and some jurisdictions do make them optional because those jurisdictions recognize different types of marriage, such as by common law and cohabitation. But it is unimaginable to me to just shack up with a spouse without benefit of law or ceremony, and hope for the best. Because we are eventually going to get into a world of hurt, whether it is at the hospital when the HIPAA enforcers get to us, or in a criminal prosecution/incarceration for matters of spousal privilege and visiting rights, or ultimately in the event of incapacitation or death, when the next of kin swoops in, how you gonna prove that? If I had a wife, I would ensure that she had all the rights and privileges of being my wife, and not have to jump through some ridiculous hoops made of red tape because some Sovereign Citizen told us it was optional to go see the JoP.