Marriage - What does that word even mean?

Attended what I think was the most beautiful wedding I've ever been to last night. What made it so beautiful was that several traditions were respected/represented simultaneously. One is Jewish and had Hebrew prayers, the Chuppah, and the breaking of the glass incorporated; the other is Catholic and had the Lord's prayer in Spanish and English, the Lasso Rosary, and other Catholic elements incorporated. During the reception, friends shared gifts of music - professional piano rendition of La Vie en Rose, operatic baritone of Dulcinea and Ave Maria, Mariachi and Folklorica. The Man of God who performed the ceremony spoke to the meaning of God's love and to the commitment being enacted herein and to the definition of the word holy - it was beautiful. Some of us talked afterwards about what an inspiration it was.

So here's my question?  Are He 1 and He 2 "married" now?  What is marriage?  We are in what might be considered an epic struggle in the US to determine who has the right to get married.  Russ and Santi called their event a wedding - a Man of God conducted the ceremony - it occurred in a public place among friends and family.  But gay marriage is illegal in Texas, so what is this thing they've done?  And why shouldn't they call it marriage?  And why don't we advance this toward legality?