I plan to propose tonight! I am afraid of wedlock in our society.
That sounds really exciting! What makes you so afraid?
When married alot of rights and obligations are established and mixed between the two people in it.
I think that's part of the reason most people get married. You care enough about another person to carry half the weight. I don't think there's much more obligation when marrying someone than there is being in a long term relationship. 
I agree with that. Marriage varies very much around the world. In some countries you are given away and can not choose your person.
I couldn't imagine how scary it would be to be given away and not know who you're expected to spend the rest of your life with. It's hard to enough to imagine spending forever with anyone, let alone a stranger.
People marry for different reasons. Some legal, social, emotinal, financial. It is crazy to think that people marry for so many different things.
I can understand some of the financial and legal. You can spend your whole life with someone and have no say in anything unless you're married.