Yes, there was a time then marriage exist before religion, but it was not regulated by the state. The evolution would be unregulated->church->state. I think the

Yes, there was a time then marriage exist before religion, but it was not regulated by the state. The evolution would be unregulated->church->state. I think the unregulated and church ones are very close in term of legal implications (almost none), while the state is severely intervening and basically destroyed it in recent years.