“Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave?
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?
But watching you stand alone,
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.
One step closer, I have died every day waiting for you
Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more.”

This was the Christina Perri song that played in the "Twilight" saga as Bella married Edward. More importantly, this was the song playing as my cousin graced us with her walk down the aisle.

Dressed in a cream mermaid wedding gown and covered by her veil, she began her trek towards the man she loves as everyone stood and watched. A sob erupted from behind me and I glanced in amazement as one of the bridesmaids behind me erupted into tears.

This then started a chain reaction as the rest began patting their faces, trying to make sure the moisture from their eyes didn’t totally ruin their make up. As I placed my eyes back on the bride, I noticed she too was crying while staring towards the altar. I looked at the altar and the groom was in tears as well! The entire wedding hall was full of the sound of sobs and sniffles.

The wedding planner hurriedly ran towards me and my fellow bridesmaids passing a tissue around to make sure our makeup wasn’t affected so we would still be able to look nice in the pictures afterwards.

As I was passed a tissue, I brought it up to my face and realized that there was no tears there. I was not crying. I was perfectly fine. I mean, yeah, it was beautiful, but why cry? Aren’t weddings supposed to be happy?

I equate tears with sadness. I believe that happy tears are a myth. Marriage is seen as every little girl's dream. Every little girl dreams of her perfect wedding day. An all-white gown adorned in lace and bows, a beautiful winding forest path that leads to a golden arc with the man of her dreams waiting under patiently for her arrival, and every single detail planned and manicured to the tee. The white doves to be released after the couples' kiss, the family in the front row, and the photographer, of course.

They want their very own happily ever after; a memory of a new life with her husband that she surely won’t forget. Marriage is one of the most beautiful representations of love, right? Wrong. Marriage is just one big scam. What if I told you everything you think you know about marriage is wrong?

You may think I am a bitter, single, heartbroken girl. I am single. I’ve had my share of heartbreaks, but who hasn’t? But I am not bitter. I’m realistic.

If you truly love someone, why must seek validation from your peers, family members, and society by getting married, confessing your love to groups of people, and obtaining a marriage license? Shouldn’t the love between you two be just that, between the two of you, no outside parties involved? When marriage first began, it was supposed to be a union of two people back in the Stone Age. It was a way of organizing and controlling sexual conduct and providing a stable structure for child rearing and the tasks of daily life.

In the ancient world, marriage served primarily as a means of preserving power, with kings and other members of the ruling class marrying off daughters to forge alliances, acquire land, and produce legitimate heirs. So at the beginning, marriage had nothing to do with the church, it was strictly for political gain and producing children. So love was never in the picture, and it did not come into the picture until the 17th and 18th century.

Thinkers in the Enlightenment began to advocate the pursuit of happiness and marrying for love instead of status.

Nowadays, people marry for different reasons entirely, a few of which happen to be love. Marrying for true love is what Hollywood and society want you to think always happens.

Couples get married now for financial stability, not love. They believe that they would have better chances of surviving in this economy if they brace it together. In today’s economy, if you need to fill out a loan, most banks and other loan companies require you to be married to qualify for a lower interest rate. In other words, if your credit is bad, then being married can improve your mortgage rate in most cases. To add to financial stability, being married increases your earning power if you are living off of two pay checks and then splitting the cost of household amenities.

The undeniable factor is in none of these cases do you see anyone marrying for love; it's more like convenience. In other words, love is not a factor.

Here is a glimpse of the married life. John and Sally have been married three years and they have one child. Every morning Sally wakes up and cooks breakfast for John and their son then goes off to school, then a PTA meeting while John goes into the office to work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sally picks her child up from school and goes home to make dinner. She checks her calendar; tonight is meatloaf, and she has to prepare the meal, clean the house, have sex with John, and catch up on some work before she goes to sleep; the usual chores that she completes every couple of days. Working out used to be on that to-do list until she noticed her husband’s beer belly and decided that since he does not keep up his image, neither should she. She embraces her love handles and stretch marks and eats whatever she wants. After she’s completed her chores, she goes to sleep and does the same routine the next day.

When you are married, the “I” gets traded for a “we,” and you are left without your own identity. For example, you go from being Bob’s child to Jamie’s spouse to Karen’s parent, and there is no time for independence. You are always tied to someone. Any decision you make will affect someone else. But if you love someone and do not get married, you do not have to worry about the statistics of divorce and the odds against your relationship surviving. You do not need to get the government or the church involved, you can just be together. No complications, no licenses, and no scary statistics. It would be just you and your loved one enjoying life together with no interference or worries.

Why would you ruin that with marriage? Is the cost of proclaiming your undying love really worth sacrificing your independence?

At the end of the day, whether or not you choose to get married is completely up to you. As for me, I don't see it in my future.