Marriage Records in Germany

To Allen T. and other listers, FYI.
re: German Marriage records.
Unless someone is a direct descendant, and/or the ancestor is deceased,
marriage records are not available for genealogical purposes, because of strict
privacy laws in Germany.
Marriage ceremonies are in most cases performed twice. The legal civil
ceremony is the only valid one, usually performed at city hall. The religious
ceremony, an additional option in the church of ones choice can only be performed
when the civil document (license from the civil authority, with two
witnesses) has been submitted to the clergy person. Therefore, most couples in
Germany have had two ceremonies, one civil and one religious. Again, the religious
one is not valid, without the civil one first.
Not sure when these laws became effective, I believe in the late 1800s.
Regards, Ingrid F.