hi pink,

i don't know if i can summarize marriage for you but i'll tell you what i think.

not wanting to waste the money is a non-issue. you can get married for fifty bucks or something at city hall. it's hardly rare, tons of people do it that way. you just never hear much about it because there's not much to say.

there are non-sentimental, legal reasons to get married as i'm sure you know. not to even mention the issue of children, you're choosing your official next of kin, to make a person legally responsible for you and vice versa. there are rights. yes, you can do it with contracts, if you were inclined, but if you have the legal option to marry it's simpler.

if you've been living together 2 years you've pretty much had the newlywed experience, there's nothing left to glamorize. in my experience being married is not too different from living together in the day to day. what's different is this experience of having a defined societal role, doing 'married' things together like filling out taxes, finances, health issues, etc. that sounds really dry and awful but what it really means is that you have made this mutual promise that underlies every serious thing you do.

i've been with my husband for coming up on 12 years and have been married about 6.5 years. i guess i can't say if the changes in our relationship are due to being married or just being older together, but personally i like having an official partner, chosen and recognized. sure there are sentimental aspects, centuries-old traditions and so on, but i don't see anything wrong in appreciating that also.

and to get biological on you for a moment, there are many kinds of animals that pair-bond. it's part of all kinds of life, although rabbits don't need legal recognition because they have pretty simple lives.

you don't say how old you are, so that might have something to do with his and your feelings. also, at least he's being clear with you, which is more than a lot of guys would be. basically i'm saying it's not silly to want to get married.