There's a quiet second in almost every wedding where one person is asked a question and the whole room holds its breath. Then comes a small word, usually "I do" or "I will," and everyone exhales. That small word is wedding consent, and it carries more history than most of us realize. Here's the short answer. A bride gives consent in a wedding ceremony because, since the Middle Ages at least, law and Church have agreed on one idea: a marriage rests on the free agreement of the