Is it still relevant to take part in a ceremony during which a woman leaves her father’s name behind and takes on the name of her new husband? A ritual in which the father symbolically walks his daughter to the side of another man and releases her into his custody? Does anybody really believe in this kind of society any more?

A look at the numbers provides a persuasive answer. According to the Office for National Statistics, the yearly rate of marriage in England and Wales has fallen consistently since 1972.

Moreover, in 2011, 70.1 per cent of marriages were civil and 29.9 per cent were religious – a near complete inversion from 1962, when 29.6 per cent were civil and 70.4 per cent were religious. Clearly, society’s attitude towards marriage is rapidly changing.

And yet a lot of people I know have chosen to get married, many in churches. They don’t think in patriarchal or religious terms. They are people who love their partners as equals and want to show their friends and families that they plan to spend the rest of their lives together.

If I were to ask them why marriage, or why the name change, they’d say they weren’t really sure. It’s just the way it’s done. Do they believe in monogamy? Yes. Lifelong commitment? Yes. God? Probably not. Are they virgins? Obviously not. Do they think women are male possessions? Don’t be ridiculous!