Legislators voted to recognize marriages performed by certified members of any religious denomination and in accordance with federal or state-recognized American Indian tribes.
The bill also will raise the minimum age of matrimony from 12 to 14, while requiring 14- and 15-year-olds to obtain a judge's permission before getting married.
"The new legislation will improve the law significantly in minor and major ways," Rep. Ronnie Sutton, D-Robeson, chairman of a commission that recommended the overhaul, said.
Sutton said the legislation will make it easier for people to get married by eliminating some of the legal requirements.
Sutton said the changes were necessary "to be in accordance with the 21st century we live in."
But not all politicians are in favor of the changes, he said.
"Some people don't want the court to be involved in the process about the marriage, and some want it to be involved all the way," he said.
Rep. Mark Hilton, R-Catawba, said he has mixed feelings about the bill and is concerned that the new legislation will give too much power to a state judge in cases when 14-year-olds seek a marriage license.
Hilton added that problems can arise when youths want to marry but one or both parents oppose the decision.
