What is the point of being married?

cats2012

We got married after only 5 years together, but I have plenty of people at work etc who have been together longer and a couple of quotes from them have stuck with me:

Friend a: Been with partner 16 years, no kids. Her OH popped the question about 6 months ago and she said even though she had assumed she didn't want it particularly before, she just felt so special that she would get to be his wife. She said it was almost more special because they didn't "need" it, it wouldn't change anything, but he wanted to ask her anyway

Friend b: Together 10 years, 2 kids. She said something along the lines of "it wasn't about kids, money, commitment or anything like that, it was just about me and him standing there and re-affirming just how much we love each other - for us, not for anyone else"

I thought both of these were lovely - and yes they do play to the "romantic" notion but what's wrong with that?! You can do the whole thing for the same price as a couple of nights away which is another romantic thing to do

fawd1

mildredalien wrote: »

I never thought I'd get married, but I am.

However, with my current partner I just felt that him being my 'boyfriend' wasn't enough. It felt right to take that extra step of commitment to each other, so why not? Plus, an excuse for shiny jewelry, a new dress, a bang up meal and an exotic holiday - all things I heartily enjoy

Is it wrong that it made me laugh that you refer to your husband as your current partner? I'm sure it was meant differently. I used to joke about all the things I'd do for my next wedding. My husband still doesn't find it funny.

BenjaG

*~Zephyr~* wrote: »

What is the point of being married?

Thanks. I have been asking that myself for over 20 years of a very stressful, unhappy marriage.

Amysdad70

As you can tell from my post count, not many topics prompt me to post.

One could argue, that marriage is a religious construct and if you have no religious reason, why marry. I am not religious but believe completely in marriage.

We were completely different to the OP. We married within 8 weeks of meeting. We have now been married for 21 years. There have been some tough times in there, we even split up once for 10 days, but we are still together and my wife is my world.

Would we still be together if we weren't married? I honestly don't know. We can make each other so mad sometimes, but we are closer than ever.

My wife had a stroke in November and this has brought a myriad of challenges to our lives. She was very lucky and the long term effects could have been much worse. The church talks about marriage being a union between two people. I can't sum it up better than that. We are here for each other, we support each other, we laugh and cry together, we are husband and wife.

I appreciate that this does not answer your question. But I would ask, does everything in life have to have a tangible, practical purpose?