Good point PERSON

I had forgotten about the 'deal-making' end of it. While that is no longer overt in non-orthodox western marriages, in religiously-sanctioned marriages, there is at least the assumption that the religious community in general approves of the match and protects the 'value' of the bride until the appropriate person comes along to marry her and move her on to her next womanly duties.

Gay marriage still takes place in the completely unsanctioned sphere of the sexual outlaw, so even if someone does 'hand over' the bride (I'm guessing this does not occur in gay-male marriages) it is purely formal, since the entire romance preceding the marriage takes place outside the social norms.

I find myself smiling at some distant future when there will be (atheistic, of course) Yentas matching up boys with other nice boys, and girls with other nice girls. Maybe there could be an application, where you'd have to tick the box "same" or "other" before you hired her.