Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25202904-20141108163948/@comment-24994749-20141117105410

Sam445 wrote: Consider themselves officialy married, you mean? Then again, that would not necessarily affect the offspring's name. The offspring's last name can be whatever the parents want it to be, at least that's how it is in Canada.

(..) We don't know the extents of civil law in Vale. Heck, we don't even know any civil laws of Vale, let alone if it as some. (..)

Given that the Peaceful Faunus Manifestation in V1E1 was specifically called by the news reporters a "Civil Rights" Protest, I think it's safe to assume there is some notion of civil institutions in Vale.

As for marriage specifically, for starters, the civil institution of marriage tends to be based off some variation of the religious institution of marriage. With that in mind, it is worth pointing out that, for example, we Buddhist don't have an institution of marriage.

It is also worth noting some cultures of our world practise polygamy and we have no reason to think it is not legal in Vale. Actually, for all we know Taiyang, Raven and Summer might have been together in a polyamorous relationship.