I posted this blog two years ago. Since then, I have many more readers who may not have seen it. But it’s as pertinent today as it was then, so here it is…

Because this is the busiest time of the year for weddings, here’s a reality check…

There’s nothing inherently natural about marriage. It doesn’t obey any laws of physics or cosmic order. Nor is it divinely ordained, or biologically inevitable.

It’s a cultural construct, useful for parenting, ancestral pedigrees and financial legacy. The scenario for how this coupling plays out depends on the culture in which we live.

In Western societies, we have choices about whom to marry and how to marry them. We can elope. We can be married at the courthouse. We can have an expensive wedding that will put us and our parents into debt for years.

But there is only one truth that applies to marriage, no matter how we do it. Immediately upon saying ‘I Do’, two people become one legal and financial unit. No government cares if our marriage is happy or not. The government tracks us, not to send us an anniversary card, but to collect its share of our taxes.

We’re considered a financial entity until one of three events happens – our marriage is annulled, we divorce or one of us dies.

So before you marry, remember:

• It’s easier to get into marriage than to get out of it.
• Whatever your spouse is doing financially, you’re doing it too, whether you know about it or not.
• Going into marriage, it’s all about love.
• Coming out of marriage, it’s all about money.
• Romance offers you no protection. Financial intimacy does.

Tags: financial unit, marriage, reality check, romance, wedding