No Stupid Questions

You pay less taxes, its easier to get a loan (if you both have good credit), you automatically have all the rights to know about their health in an emergency situation, whereas a girlfriend/boyfriend needs to go through extra steps, some of which are impossible in an emergency. Some people also view marriage as a very religious thing and so that part of it is a big deal to them.

It doesn't have to cost a lot to officiate a marriage if you have 2 witnesses and use the registry office.

The answer will likely depend on the place in the world and even on the cultural background of individuals getting married. I'll just share my experience.

We got married out of convenience. While it's technically possible to arrange the bulk of the legal stuff with various contracts, it is just easier to use the "default contract" that already covers the most common use case. Some legal arrangements, for example cuts to inheritance tax or the right to remain silent when asked about your spouse in legal proceedings, are only available for "real" marriages.

Once we decided to have children we looked into the various arrangements needed to make that work and quickly found out that marriage is the easiest way to sort everything out. In our day to day life nothing really changed. In legal terms quite a lot is now different.

By the way, as others have mentioned, getting married isn't expensive. All we paid was the administrative fee which was something like 50 Euros.

So, Suze Orman is a fairly well-known investment advisor. Back when marriage equality was new, she totted up that there were over 1100 benefits to getting married. I don't know what they all were, and I'm sure some of them are obscure, but still ....

Depending on the country it can make e a significant difference in finances, because taxes, inheritance laws, credit scores, etc.

Finances aside, yes, for some people the ceremony is a ritual that carries heavy meaning and the ring and a ceremony is a way to strengthen the relationship. Is a ritual that is culturally significant and very significant for some. Everyone is different so just because for you and me it is irrelevant that's not the case for thousands of others.

It's like swearing an oath of sorts. You may ask yourself, why do they waste time in court making people say they won't lie and why some need to do it with a bible? People still lie after all. Or what difference does it make when people hook pinkies over a promise? It's just a promise like any other and it can be broken. But people still do these things, and they get married too.

Depending on state, healthcare applies to spouses but may not for long term partners. You can’t do that with a will or trust

You also get tax benefits

Getting married should only be expensive if you want it to be, although too many people fall for the peer pressure.

• For me I was overwhelmingly in love, ready to declare it to the world and willing to pay anything for the one big party of my life. That may not have entirely worked out, but was how I felt at the time
• My best friend just got married for reasonable cost. Still had a big party, but it was 40 people in a park, and we went to a restaurant after.
• Another friend got married inexpensively, maybe. Was it the $100 actual cost, or do you count the week in Vegas?

Depends a lot on your personal situation, and jurisdiction.

• Doing a ceremony when you publicly say you love each other is already a valid reason

• In some jurisdiction, you'd get a form of tax benefit for being married, it often comes with downside like having welfare benefit based on the couple revenue rather than on individual ones (hence the tax benefit). Talk with an accountant/Tax-lawyer knowing your local laws for details

• It gives a legal status to your shared asset. Sure you could create a real-estate-investment company to buy your house and many people do that but being married, with a proper prenup give you a lot of agency regarding your shared asset

• It protects the weaker partner, usually the one scarifying their carrer for the couple if things goes wrong

• No need for a big ceremony, you can get a notary to prepare the pre-nup contract, and do a ceremony at the townhall with 2 witnesses and done.

Are you perhaps asking from a US perspective? Or maybe Indian too. I don't know of any other countries where marriage is expensive really.

We got married in Vegas as a fun thing to do, since we're Swedish. Legally the difference is extremely small between being "sambo" (co-living) and being married, and we could just as well kept going without getting married.

It's the symbolism

I want to show the world that I love my woman, and I'll do it in every way that I can

Socially it's an excuse to party with everyone you love.

Legally it's only worth it if you have kids, plan to migrate countries, or have shitty immediate family among other things. But if you're just in a long term relationship with your finances otherwise separated, no kids or end of life concerns, ~~then it can be somewhat detrimental as you're just inviting the state in to meddle with your life.~~ it's just a formal interaction with the state.

Edit: see replies.

L in addition to protecting your land from invaders It’s very important when it comes to having kids. If you are married it’s easy

Idk I hate it though my former bestfriend thinks of me as nothing more then a line item in her check book and I have to pay for her poor decisions.

As a male, none.

Have been helping people in family court for twenty years. The shift had been catastrophic for marriage from a male risk/reward.

It doesn't HAVE to cost so much. The wedding doesn't cost a lot.

The ceremony and the party are what cost a lot.

But you can go down to city hall, in plain clothes, pay a small fine, fill out some paperwork, bada bing bada boom, married.

But good luck getting 99% of women to give up their dream wedding for a city hall wedding with 1 city appointed witness, and no guests.