If a marriage license had an expiry date of 5-10-15 and 20 years with the option to renew if both parties are in agreement.

there would be a penalty system. so the offending party could be disqualified from marrying again for 5-10 or15 years. ( if they are bad enough)

which one would you go for? and why

I think I'd go for the 15. I mean it's a good chunk,and kids would be pretty much grown up.
long enough to give it a good go, short enough to discourage complacency.

Sounds like your expiration would replace filing for a divorce...ok...however, When a divorce is granted now, just how clean is that divorce between the EX's?...ex spouses battle every day over an incredible number of things...i knew a fella who whenever he received a raise also received a letter from his ex wife attorney...so just saying its over does not mean it is over in a number of cases...and good luck trying to anticipate and cover everything in a contract..lets not forget out of wedlock children who want to claim a piece of the action...Perhaps a person could save court costs but that would be surpassed by the litigation on the penalties and bans this arrangement would entail...I can see my lawyer smiling now...

There should be a provision, where
no license be issued, to any person
under the influence of intoxicants.

Damn... I hated the days of waking up
all 'surprise married'.

Handfasting is similar to what you're talking about Steve. The couple has a handfasting ceremony where they commit for one or two years. After that they re-evaluate to see if they want to recommit for a longer time. There are no contracts or legalities that bind them together, just faith and trust that each will honor their commitment. If they choose to dissolve their commitment and move on it's generally done in a civil manner, a more peaceful loving way.

Personally, I would not go for any mandatory time frame that I must stay married to someone, least not one that was legally binding. If a man decided it was okay to hit me or shack up with someone else after 2 years and the marriage still had 3 years before it expired that would really sux.

I lean more towards handfasting because those who generally do so are more empowered in mind, body, and spirit... it's a more evolved union between two people who understand some things don't last forever and that you will either grow together or grow a part. They also tend to have a better understanding that their union is not about ownership... something you often see when two people become husband and wife. If by chance things did go wrong and it turned ugly, either person could walk away without all the legal nonsense or penalties.

@ River.....I have never heard of that! (Hand fasting)🤷

OT- I personally wouldn’t want to marry somebody with the anticipation that things will “be sour” in a few years down the road. I want my marriage to work, and resolve any
problems that may come our way

Traditionally it's a Wiccan and pagan ritual when two bind their love together, using free will and ceremony rather than a legal document. I had it wrong about the one or two year commitment. Someone a while ago told me that, guess he wasn't the type to want an everlasting commitment, haha. I just googled it and discovered it is meant to be a commitment to eternal love. Much better!

I agree with you, I wouldn't want to enter into something with the idea that it won't last. Those tend to not last. When I make a commitment to a man it's with the idea that it's going to last forever.

My comment about leaning more towards a handfasting was what I would choose over agreeing to something that had an expiration date. If I ever did do a handfasting ceremony with someone my hopes would be that it would be for eternity.

Unfortunately I haven't always chosen wisely and have invited some pretty not so nice men into my life. Hopefully I have learned and grown from that and the right one will show up. But having gone through that, I am a little gun shy when it comes to signing any kind of document that binds us together. I'm open to it, just a little weary.

Yeah, I mentioned the handfasting as well when he first mentioned what he says in the OP, in another thread. It was ignored, as per usual. I'm the most ignored person on here. If only they'd hand out prizes for that I'd be laughing, hihi.

I believe there's different types of handfasting. Like the one with Beltane, it lasted for a year, then you could renew or not.
But it was also done to last forever, often it was then a blood vow, so carefully cutting the palms and merging the blood.
I would never ever make a blood vow as that is SO powerful, and will continue on after death. Some people makes vows to last forever, which includes after death, thinking they are meant to be together forever, after death/in the next life as well.
Unfortunately we are mere humans and we don't know if this is in our Soul's best interest. Many are still bound now by such vows which blocks their love life.
Maybe I've done something like that in a past life, but I'd never do it this life. Ever.

In my novel that got published in 2017 the main characters handfast. I described the whole ceremony, from the binding of the handfasting cord to the jumping over the broom, hihi. I wrote vows too, made them good, with a hint of humour.
First time in my life I wrote wedding vows, took me quite some time, and it wasn't even my marriage, lol.

I'd want to handfast AND get legally married.
Btw in some countries handfasting IS legal. In some US states as well I believe.

Thanks Crystal for explaining it better

Why get married at all if you want a marriage with an expiration date? Just live together if that's your mindset.
Personally I'd never marry a person I hadn't lived first with because in my opinion you really don't know someone until you live with them. I'm not interested in paying another lawyer because it didn't work out.

In today's world does it really matter which marriage system, people will still do what they do now, they either chose to stay together or go their own separate ways.

Hmmmm. What sort of addendums can I add to one of these contracts? Can I add.....

1A: Thou shalt not burn my toast.
1B: Thou shalt not hide the remote during football season.
1C: Thou shalt always and never have a headache during freaky time.

I'm just saying...I want to cover all my bases.

How about-

Thou shalt not nag.
Thou aren't always right.
Thou shalt explain one's mad.

I can't really see the point of marriage on a temp basis either.

What's the goal involved? Seeing to children? If that's it, then set aside the idea of marriage altogether, and just set rules that require people to properly care for their offspring for at least twenty years, regardless of how well they treat each other.

Frankly, the whole idea of "time-limit marriage" reminds me of the insanity of the 1970's, with all that "open marriage" crap that went around.

Marriage is an adventure of its own: to challenge yourself to a lifelong commitment to another person. If you're not up for it, don't set out on the adventure at all.

If anything, I'd go for making the laws about it all more consistent on each end. Divorce should be exactly like marriage in reverse, and not involve the State government being allowed to have a financial interest in what people do with their private lives.

That, or go the other way: make it as much of a challenge to GET married legally, as it is to get divorced. If I have to prove to a bunch of State lawyers that I can't live with my wife any longer, and she with me, then I should have to go before the same bunch of people and prove that I have what it takes to get married in the first place. That it's not just a whim of the moment, that I am willing to pay the state (and a private lawyer for each person) thousands of dollars, in order to be allowed to say we're married.

Or you could decide to set up legalized shacking up: anyone who wants to move in together has to contract legally for whatever their financial behaviors together will be. They can do whatever they want, they just have to be clear about it, and make sure that there are no loose ends as far as responsible behavior goes.

Guess I'm stubborn, old fashioned, and snooty about logic.

Marriage has always had an expiration date. It used to be mainly until death did they part, now it's either death or the more likely scenario when one or both people doesn't want to married anymore for various reasons.

Now we are entering into negotiations. Thing is, during football season, I am always right....well my beer says I am.

Whichever one gave the greatest tax benefit?
Otherwise it's an idea that I'd probably actively work against.

Do you understand that a marriage license doesn't really define the marriage?
Like if the license expires the government doesn't send the police or army in (if enough resistance due to domestic terrormarriagism) to keep you from being married?

A marriage license defines how the government views the two people in a relationship? For benefits and tax and legal considerations?

So if a marriage license "expired" it wouldn't mean you aren't married...only that the government no longer considers the two of you a married couple; you no longer receive whatever government benefits, considerations, protections, or penalties due to a married couple from the government.

An expiration date on a marriage license would just create more bureaucracy and increase taxes.
As per relationships, it would probably create a lot of problems towards the extremes of relationships. Where people can (and want to) use the legal limitations to shirk personal responsibility, and make it easier to use the law as a weapon against each other. "Not my fault, was/wasn't in the license/contract! It's not me, it's policy."

At best it simply entrenches government more deeply into personal relationships, making it a 3rd partner.

It won't solve any perceived "problems."

So I'd avoid any of those "options."

Well it seemed like a good idea at the time lol. but the more I think about it......
I don't think I'd get married again anyhow. Done that twice.Its not the piece of paper from the city hall that keeps you tied and true anyway.
Ill jump the broomstick or something in future.