Key points of this article
1.Proving agreement through digital signatures
To digitize the traditionally paper-based act of marital agreement, the project introduced ECDSA digital signatures paired with a custom certificate chain. By guaranteeing each signer's identity while preventing tampering with the data, it expressed the constitutional notion of "agreement" in a form that can be properly verified digitally.
2.Bitcoin's distributed timestamp
Bitcoin was used as a public log to prove when the agreement existed. By recording the hash value of the signatures within transaction data, the timestamp gets stamped in via Proof of Work, creating a mechanism anyone, anywhere, can verify.
3.Future applications of digital trust
While it doesn't directly substitute for legally establishing a marriage, the project demonstrated a form of digital trust that can objectively preserve a record of intent. Going forward, it holds promise as a way to prove common-law relationships that fall outside legal frameworks, and as a means of building trust in various digital procedures.
In August 2025, an innovative wedding event took place at the blockchain technology conference 'WebX'. The bride and groom electronically signed their marriage certificate, which was then recorded as a Bitcoin transaction. A total of 583 attendees at the venue accessed a verification app via a QR code, participating in the verification process while observing the progress of the signatures.
At first glance, this might seem like a glamorous display to showcase technological advancement. However, my aim was not just that. In this article, I will explain the cryptographic system underlying this event.
