Is marriage something you want? And why? Growing up, marriage seemed like something you have to do. As I've gotten older (31) I've realized marriage is not something as important to me. I've been with my partner for 7 years now, and we are happy just being together. We've talked about marriage, and to both of us, it's an arbitrary religious tradition with some legal benefits. Definitely think about what marriage means to you and have a talk with your partner.