The best reason, to me, to get married is because you cannot see your life without that other person in it. They make you better/you make them better.

Frankly, one reason to formalize is societal legalities. You can merge your "assets" legally, on multiple levels, when you marry. And it shouldn't be ignored - it's important for a lot of reasons.

The wedding is of far less import than the partnership it creates. For a very long time I was unable to imagine what being married might be. But to all intents and purposes, when my now-wife and I moved in together, a few years before we married, we were already being married in all the important ways before we did, in fact, marry.

The point of my long-winded commentary here is that I agree with you. There's a difference between getting and being married.

Thank you for sharing your perspective on this topic.