The prescribed form of marriage for the Christian community is monogamy, i.e., one husband, one wife, and they may have marital relation only with each other. It will be unnatural for Christians to think in terms of polygamy or polyandry which are strictly prohibited by the Christian Churches. The marital age for the boy and the girl allowed by the Christian Churches is 18 years and 16 years, respectively, except in the Catholic Church where the canonical age for marriage for the boy and the girl is respectively 16 and 14. Even at this age, since they are minors, the parents consent would be required.

Close blood relationship constitutes an impediment to marriage among Christians. Brother and sister are prohibited from marrying each other, so also uncle and niece or aunt and nephew. As regards consanguinity of lesser degree, marriages between first cousins and even second cousins are generally discouraged, but may be allowed only with a special dispensation of the Church. Christianity holds that caste distinctions are man-made, and Christian Churches, therefore, do not come in the way of inter-caste marriages among Christians. However, it was once quite usual among Christians to marry someone belonging to their own caste, but the custom if fast breaking down.

For the Christians, marriage is a permanent irrevocable contract between man and woman to live together on terms of the deepest human friendship and found a family. This bond of union is further strengthened by the fact that the same contract becomes a sacrament by a ceremony. Since marriage is a contract, its essence naturally lies in the free consent of each party to the contract at the time them contract is entered into, and of that reason, the free consent of the parties is all important and is given the central place in the liturgical celebrations of marriage.

The Catholic Church therefore enjoins permanency of the marriage bond, which is dissolved, only with the death of one of the parties. Divorce is not granted under any circumstances. However, the Church uses it s good offices to help the husband and wife to patch up their differences, and if continual ill-treatment or neglect by one of the parties or infidelity is proved, a separation without the right to remarry someone else is granted. In the case of the other Christian Churches divorce is permitted with the right to remarry someone else. The Anglican Church, however, does not allow divorce as a principle, but tolerates it in practice, as the bond of matrimony is held to have dissolved with the death of one of the parties, the living party is then free to remarry.

Since Christian marriage is recognised by the government of India as per the Christian Marriage Act. The necessity of civil marriage does not arise. The priest officiating at the marriage has to record the details in the marriage Register which is signed be the bridal couple, and a copy of the record is sent to the government. However, in cases, especially when there is an impediment in the marriage, the bridal couple goes directly to the magistrate to be legally married.