There are the obvious perks of being married, like being with the love of your life, and having a partner in crime but maybe you overlook or even forget about the other things.
A marriage contract puts a protective shell around your relationship that helps keep your bond strong when there are bumps in the road—it gives couples a sense of security that they’ll stay together no matter what. Plus, it’s harder to leave if everyone you know identifies you as being part of a married couple.
Publicly declaring your love in front of friends and family in a formal ceremony, and then signing a marriage license that legally seals the deal can make your twosome feel meaningful in a way that simply living together long-term might not.
Using the terms “husband” and “wife” often causes people to think of each other in a more permanent, you’re-a-part-of-me/I’m-a-part-of-you way—you’re a family now.
It’s common for married couples to settle into a sense of rootedness and calm—whereas pre-wedding, they were more adrift, unsure of where they’d be living or what they’d be doing a year or two down the line. Because marriage is the ultimate level of commitment that our society recognizes, once you’re hitched, you can sit back and feel content that you’ve reached that hope of a lifelong, satisfying, loving relationship.
You’ll probably have lots of different relationships over the years, but you (hopefully) will only have one spouse. Singling out your other half as the one you chose to marry says that they means more to you than any other person you’ve dated: you’ve identified each other as your this-is-it, once-in-a-lifetime partner.
Buzzfeed made an awesome video highlighting some of the best ones as well, check it out!
There is a special kind of love between a husbands/wives and partners who have gotten comfortable with each other that is priceless.