Certainly a standard legislation relationship just isn’t a sacramental matrimony. But, since it is a portion of the personal lightweight in some places, somebody who is normal law partnered comes with the exact same moral standing. If you tried some form of bigamy with a Catholic, the priest would ask you to answer in agreement with:
Can. 1085 §1. People limited by the relationship of a previous matrimony, even in the event it wasn’t consummated, invalidly efforts matrimony.
“do you think you’re partnered” while would state, yes.
Equally, there’s absolutely no obstacle for cohabitating people to possess their wedding 
sacramentalized of the Catholic chapel (except an excellent extended confession by each party and maybe another penances as given by the priest).
But, if a typical rules married man abandons his common-law girlfriend to wed an other woman, the guy must get a separation and divorce from the woman before attempting receive a sacramental marriage through Church.
The one thing to bear in mind could be the assumption of this automated nature of common-law relationships will not be how you feel truly. I was told the exact same thing you expressed, in exploring some, i believe one or two still has to make a proper declaration, so that the matrimony isn’t just something which falls within lap.
Basically I agree with Caleb, but allow me to create several remarks too-long to squeeze in a comment.
On the good my expertise, no place does the Bible specify any certain ritual or vows about wedding. Is it actually necessary to state: Failing to adhere human being relationships practices will not prompt you to any less hitched. Like, should you have a marriage without bridal party or you have “wedding donuts” instead of “wedding cake”, I think not many people would suppose this will make their relationships invalid. If you are not able to update your commitment status on Facebook to “married”, it doesn’t prompt you to any significantly less hitched. Etcetera.
Practical question, subsequently, is simply exactly how goodness describes “marriage”. I am not sure of any single Bible verse that says, “Thus spake god, to-be hitched during my sight thou must . ” however the Bible does make several statements concerning nature of relationships that provides powerful clues. Like Gen 2:24, “Therefore one shall keep their father and mother and start to become accompanied to his spouse, and they shall be one skin.” Matt 19:6, “Therefore just what Jesus features joined up with with each other, leave not people different.” And 19:9, “and that I say to your, whoever divorces their spouse, excepting sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries the lady who is divorced commits adultery.” 1 Cor 7:3-4, “Let the partner render to his partner the affection due the girl, and likewise additionally the partner to the girl partner. The partner doesn’t have expert over her own system, although husband really does. Basically the husband does not have expert over his or her own looks, nevertheless the spouse does.” Etc. You are able to collect many other statements occasionally.
Thus getting a tiny bit explanation about this, we determine that generally, in Jesus’s eyes, a married relationship is actually a consignment between men and a lady that provided both are nonetheless live they will certainly stay collectively, and maximum their intercourse together and not refuse each other. Maybe you’d create anything in there about elevating children or other points i am skimming over, but I think that is the bare basics.
Within my humble opinion after that, if a guy and a woman making these a consignment to one another, even though they do they sitting regarding deck without any people else about, they include hitched. If later one of these possess intimate relations with someone else, which makes it adultery.
We’re able to certainly debate just how big their particular purposes should be and whether they must consummate the marriage. I think that is part of exactly why communities have actually built up traditions. In the event it was actually recognized that most they grabbed for hitched was for just one individual state, “Hey, you wish to become married?” and the other to express “okay”, there would without doubt getting a lot of baffled situations where one person thought they were engaged and getting married as well as the some other didn’t, like anyone meant “right now” therefore the additional suggested “someday”. However, if both of you proceed through a more elaborate routine and recite vows, there is undoubtedly no matter of purpose. But on the bright side, if two different people come in a plane collision and stranded on an uninhabited area and so they choose they wish to have hitched, the fact there’s no minister around to perform the wedding, no national institution to question the license, no place to buy a marriage gown, etc etc, is mostly unimportant.
In the event that government calls for married couples to register for some reason, than presumably Christians should comply with that according to the general concept of obeying civil authorities. But getting a government-issued relationship permit actually why is you married, any longer than acquiring a government-issued birth certification is what makes you end up being produced.