This is an interesting topic in many aspects. For the vast part human history, couples married for practical reasons, not because of love. Women needed to get wed to be able to vote, own property and for financial security.
In a modern society, couples now have the choice to have mortgages together, children, and live in stable relationships freely without a marriage certificate. So why is marriage still such a valued tradition, and one that so many still aspire to?
I’ve found that one of the most significant reasons for couples is that is formalises your love for one and other. The entire day is an acknowledgment of romance, and solidifies you as two individuals coming together as one.
Maybe a simpler (but just as important point), is that it provides a sense of security that you have taken the ultimate step to be with each other through good times and hard times, build your family and support each other. Marriage literally documents your love in history, it creates the paper trail that your marriage was between X and Y on such and such date.
Let’s be fair, most brides have dreamed of their big day since they were children, imagining that fairytale aspect we have all grew up with. They have spent years planning every little detail of a day that will make them feel like a princess, but underneath it all, it’s a CHOICE that two people have taken to celebrate their love. Not because they have HAD to, or been forced to, but because they wanted to. And I think that’s the most special point of all.
Barbara x