Is marriage unneccessary?

Time magazine offers an interesting article entitled, "Marriage: What's It Good For?"

The article lists a variety of reasons why marriage seems less appealing, but it doesn't overtly conclude that marriage is obsolete or unneccessary.

Nonetheless, the piece inevitably generates the usual "marriage is simply a social construct" response.

Anyone cynical of the institution might find fuel for their fire in the article, which includes lines like this quotation from a sociologist: "Getting married is a way to show family and friends that you have a successful personal life."

A big part of me wants to side with the cynics. I spent most of college vowing to never get married. Then, just as the idea grew more palatable, I watched many people get married for what I perceived as the wrong reasons. (Refer to the aforementioned quotation.)

Now I'm at a different point in my life, having sustained a nearly four-year relationship. I still hate the fluff that often comes with weddings, but an idea of "marriage" -- or lack thereof -- hangs over my head as some ultimate compass determining my future.

Honestly, I've grown to appreciate -- even look forward to -- the commitment marriage symbolizes. I like the idea of a formal promise.

However, articles like the Time piece make me reevaluate that sentiment. Amid some of the cynical comments, I feel like I'm being childish by still putting faith in such a disputed tradition.

Weigh in: Do you ever feel guilty for wanting to get married?