[socialismisok]

No one here is going to convince you via posting. You've got strong opinions here, clearly. I should probably just disengage and downvote and move on.

... But

The legal part of marriage is important, it provides protections for partners who are likely to make a life change based on love. My marriage certificate guarantees that if my partner or I chooses to give up a career to take care of the household, we aren't left penniless if we split.

It protects us in the outside world too, we are a household. We can easily operate for one another I'm financial, contractual, or other spaces.

It's social, it's a commitment visible to others. It's a way of saying I care so much I'm willing to put aside some of my independence for the purpose of this relationship. That carries emotional weight.

Of course love and legal marriage are different. Love whomever you want, but there are emotional reasons AND legal reasons to get married. (And plenty of reasons not to as well.)