Vox Day on Marriage and the State

I have always suspected that marriage wasn't always controlled by the state. Vox Day confirms my suspicions with historical evidence:

I further note that it was not until the 24th session of the Council of Trent, in 1563, that any church or state authority even seriously concerned itself with the question of overseeing marriage, the Codex Justinianus and Lex Papia Poppaea notwithstanding. For most of human history, men and women have successfully married, bred and raised families without the involvement or the permission of the state. Given the plunge in Western birth rates of the last 50 years, the more relevant argument is if the institution of marriage can survive the interference of the state, not if it requires i

Vox Day, In Defense of Libertarians