It's a practical matter. "Getting married" is very easy and requires almost no expense and only a little bit of time. You don't need to plan at all for a civil

It's a practical matter. "Getting married" is very easy and requires almost no expense and only a little bit of time. You don't need to plan at all for a civil marriage, just sign some paperwork. Drafting all the documents you'll need (will, medical directive, etc.) without a marriage takes lots of time and money (lawyer fees). Writing marriage into laws is a way to save families time and money and make everything simple for them.