Oklahoma Republican wants to make secular marriage impossible.

[Huggy Bear]

To make it clear I'm referencing America specifically which is what the OP is referring to. We have common-law marriage here, you need no license for that, if you live together then you are considered legally married.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common-law_marriage

The original concept of a common-law marriage is a marriage that is considered valid by both partners, but has not been formally registered with a state or church registry, or a formal religious service. In effect, the act of the couple representing themselves to others as being married acts as the evidence that they are married. In jurisdictions recognizing common-law marriages, such a marriage is not legally distinct from a traditional ceremonial marriage enacted through a civil or religious ceremony in terms of the couple's rights and obligations to one another.

A true common-law marriage is a fully legal marriage that has been contracted in an irregular way. In the United States, nine states and the District of Columbia permit this irregular form of marriage. People in these true common-law marriages are considered legally married for all purposes and in all circumstances.

http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-servi...riage.aspx

Oklahoma's statute requires couples to get a marriage license; however case law has upheld common law marriages in the state.