There is little in the Torah to provide rules, structure and guidance. The comments are more general about the importance of marriage. The way a marriage is to be conducted and the responsibilites of each person is found in the Talmud."A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." (Genesis)
"It is not good for man to be alone." (Genesis)
"Be fruiful and multiply" (Genesis, the first mitzvot in the Torah emphasising the importance of having a family. This mitzvot is said to be fulfilled when the couple has at least one child of either sex, just as God created man and woman.)
"He who has no wife is not a proper man." (Talmudic saying)
"A man without a wife lives without blessing, life, joy, help, good and peace." (Talmudic saying)
The home is the "little temple (or sanctuary)." (Ezekial)
There are parrallels between the marriage of men and women and the covenant God made with the Jewish peopleAbraham (Genesis) and Moses (Exodus).
The Chuppah is related to the stories of Abraham in Genesis, particularly the tent in which he and Sarah lived and the way they would welcome people into their tent.
The idea of the marriage being a community celebration is found in Joel 2:16 "Gather the people, consecrate the assembly...Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber."
The Mishnah (part of the Talmud) specifies that a woman is acquired (i.e. to be a wife) in three ways: through money, a contract, and sexual intercourse. Ordinarily, all three of these conditions are satisfied, although only one is necessary to effect a binding marriage.
In all cases, the Talmud specifies that a woman can be acquired only with her consent, and not without it
A husband is responsible for providing his wife with food, clothing and sexual relations (Exodus)
