Marriage in Judaism

I would like to start off this essay by making it very clear that I am in, of by any means whatsoever an expert on or in the field of Judaism nor do I claim to specialize in the field of marriage in Judaism. With this being said I would like to start off this essay by stating what marriage in general is according to Merriam-Webster's definition, "1 a : the state of being married b : the mutual relation of husband and wife : WEDLOCK c : the institution whereby men and women are joined in a special kind of social and legal dependence for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family2 : an act of marrying or the rite by which the married status is effected; especially : the wedding ceremony and attendant festivities or formalities3 : an intimate or close union."…