Confarreatio was the formal ancient Roman wedding rite associated especially with patrician families.
The ceremony took its name from the panis farreus, a sacred spelt cake shared by the couple. It was performed in the presence of the chief Roman priest, the flamen Dialis, and the pontifex maximus, along with witnesses. The rite had religious and legal significance.
Confarreatio was one of the traditional Roman forms of marriage. Other recognized arrangements included coemptio, a symbolic purchase, and usus, marriage established through continuous cohabitation under specific conditions. Confarreatio was more restricted and carried particular implications for priestly families.
Modern descriptions sometimes call any Roman wedding confarreatio, but that is too broad. The term refers to one specific, formal ceremony rather than a general Roman marriage celebration. The spelt cake is the detail that gives the rite its distinctive name.