ante-nuptial agreement

an agreement entered into before marriage by which one or both potential spouses exclude, so far as the law allows, his or her property at the time or to follow from falling within the scope of the law of divorce. Such agreements are clearly more important in jurisdictions that have a community property rule and less important in jurisdictions that have a separate property rule. They were very common in previous centuries when great landowners were anxious to preserve estates against unfortunate marriages. States that allow such agreements are likely to require them to be at least fair and reasonable when entered into.