Do you plan on getting married in the future?

Civil partnership is different in its origin, so no, it is not Christian.

So we can say that marriage is not a Christian ceremony alone since civil marriages exist, am I right? If it has not really a religious meaning, does marriage still make sense anyway?

It still involves the same legal restrictions, and not a single Atheist couple I know has undergone a civil partnership, as opposed to an actual marriage.

You can have a civil ceremony for an actual marriage though.
Certainly, nobody I know has had a religious wedding, and the church isn't having anything to do with mine when I get married.

If the service is being carried out by a vicar or priest, inside a church, then it has something to do with religion.

My main opposition towards marriage isn't because it is a Christian tradition, but because of what it entails. I just have greater dislike due to its origin.

Who mentioned a vicar or church? Not me. You can get married without that. Hence a 'civil ceremony'.

My uncle got married in a Scottish distillery, for example.

Yes, but all I said is that nobody I know got married independently of the church, even though they aren't religious.

No, you said civil partnership. Which is different to marriage.

Why you'd have a religious wedding when you're not religious is beyond me, but each to their own

Civil partnership/civil ceremony is essentially non-religious marriage. Everything is the same except its association with Christianity, which isn't even my main problem with marriage.

I'm not sure what the point is that you're arguing.

It still involves the same legal restrictions, and not a single Atheist couple I know has undergone a civil partnership, as opposed to an actual marriage.

Not arguing at all Just pointing out that marriage doesn't have to be religious, but that civil partnerships are different to marriage.

Out of interest, what is your main problem with marriage? (I'm neither particularly for or against it myself, just interested)

Relationships, yes. However, not marriage.

Hmmm... so marriage has a meaning to people insofar to give a life partner a promise being together til death? don't get it...

And you need to spend money and conduct a ceremony to do that, why? Do you need a metallic ring on your finger to prove you're devoted to your partner? If you do, then you can just buy a ring for each other and skip the whole unnecessary celebration.

The legal and financial repercussions of it, as I've said.

Custodial battles, solicitor fees only exacerbate the divorce process (which most marriages end up in, anyway). There is no real benefit from having a wedding (besides having a reason to be self-centred for a day).

From that point of view, we can say a marriage became more and more unnecessary. And that is my opinion, unless people have a Christian faith and taking care of traditions. From this point of view marriage make sense in turn.

That's fair enough. Agree with you on the wedding front, too. Boring for everyone not directly involved and, on the whole, a massive waste of money. Hence me and my partner's plan to elope to Vegas

Couldn't custodial battles happen when there's a relationship with children involved, regardless of the marriage status of the parents? (Again, not arguing - but unless I've missed something, custody is about who has the children following a break up. Wouldn't that happen anyway if there were children to a couple who were cohabiting but not married? Assuming the father has parental responsibility through being listed on the birth certificate.)

Sounds like you need an arranged marriage. The odds of meeting someone like that on your own in a modern society are vanishingly small.

Civil ceremony, then?

It would be via a town hall regardless, we're not religious. But basically we're umming and ahhing a bit about whether to invite anyone to a) the actual getting married part and/or b) a meal somewhere afterwards, and if yes to either, how many people. It would require a bit of advance warning since anyone from my family would have to fly over.