Every relationship and marriage is different.

Me and my husband stayed engaged for awhile before marriage. I don't see myself settling down and making a life with anyone else but we both are realist and know people change and goals change and we can't predict 20 years down the road.And marriage was a safe guard to the life we have already built together plus extra benefits. I needed insurance, the tax benefits are pretty alright, and if anything ever happened to one of us then we both would be able to handle the other's post mortem business with legal ease. Society and its infrastructures still give more benefits to couples who are married. And when you build a life with someone for close to a decade and you start to look at how to safeguard that life marriage becomes the most economical way to do that

I think marriage can be very beautiful on a personal level, I married my husband because I love him and I made a commitment to him, we didn't have a big wedding or anything, for us personally marriage felt like it should be done as privately as possible because it is about our commitment to each other. We eloped, had a close friend who is ordained marry us, and went to a nice dinner. And our commitment to each other wasn't the traditional till death do us part. It was more as long as we love each other we will care for each other and do our best for each other. We also aren't the most traditional couple as we aren't monogamous and have an open relationship.

I think marriage will always be important and a path most long term committed couples purse because our society makes it the best way to safeguard the life they have built together with added benefits. And for a lot of people it still has a deep emotional meaning. Even if me and my husband hadn't gotten married legally we still would have ended up exchanging vows and rings because it is our pact with each other. And we have discussed if we met someone that we both loved and they loved both of us we would make the same commitment to that person as well.

Marriage is really complex, I wish more people wouldn't look at it as the natural next step of a relationship or a goal to check off the life path list though. Any long term relationship regardless of marriage status or not takes a lot of work and it isn't always easy, there are plenty of days where I feel like throwing in the towel for my own selfish reasons or we had a disagreement, or my husband is on my nerves but then the moment passes and I am glad I didn't give into that impulse because I love him and I love sharing life with him even close to 10 years later.