People get married for a variety of reasons, but for most people, the decision to tie the knot comes as part of a push to move a relationship forward and start the next chapter of your life with your partner.
One woman on Mumsnet though has said she wants to marry her boyfriend for financial security, as she's currently living in his house but has no claim to it herself because they're not married.
And while her reasons for marriage aren't completely unusual, some of her friends think she's being "unreasonable" and "grabby" with her demands.
In her post, she explained: "My partner and I are in our early 30s and have been together for a year and a half. We've been living together for much of that time and are very happy.
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"When we met, I was living in a rental following a divorce and sale of the martial home. I’d planned to use my money from the sale to purchase a property for myself, but when I met my partner he already had two properties - one he lives in and another he rents out.
"My partner owns his rental outright and has a lot of equity in the other property, so he was keen for us to live in his place, resulting in me moving in.
"I’ve been living with my partner for some time now and we are very happy in his place, but I’m left with a chunk of money I don’t know what to do with and living in a house that isn’t mine. I don’t have a deposit big enough for a buy to let mortgage, so using my money on a rental property isn’t an option either.
"There are plans to make numerous improvements to the place we are in now, such as a new kitchen and bathroom, but my partner is having to do this gradually as and when he can afford it. I can’t help but feel I have a pot of money that could easily cover all of this work and more, yet clearly, I can’t help out at the moment as I have no rights to the property.
"I also feel like I’m in a vulnerable position at present as whilst my partner's properties are appreciating in value, and I’m paying some rent to live here. I’d be left with nothing if we were to break up and with my own pot of money which has only lost value due to inflation etc.
"I’ve suggested renting this place out and buying somewhere together, but my partner feels this wouldn’t be a good option at the moment given high prices."
The woman feels her best option is to marry her partner but has been called "unreasonable" by her friends for her motivation to tie the knot.
She added: "I feel like due to all of these reasons, it’d be far better for my security if we were to marry. We have both agreed we see marriage in our future but have not discussed any timescales and at my age, I’m really keen to secure my future. Are my motivations for marriage unreasonable as my friend has implied?"
Commenters on the post were split, as while some said they understood her viewpoint, others said she could solve her problems without getting married if she was to buy a percentage of her partner's house or get him to put her name on the deed along with his.
One person said: "Why don't you just buy a percentage of this house with the money? Or he puts your name on the house and you pay for renovations? Why do you need to get married?"
While another added: "My immediate thought was you could buy a share in his property. This seems like the way forward to me. However, if you both want to get married why not? I do think it offers more security should you go on to have a family."
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