h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Myself and my partner Keren will be tying the proverbial knot on 15th May, 1999.

Why? thats the question I get asked more frequently as the big day approaches, and it's probably a good one.

If we'd saved the money we could have paid off a quater of the mortgage, or bought a new car.

You start telling people that it's because you've been together for 6 years and want to prove your commitment (buying a house together obviously is'nt enough!.

You reel of the carefully calculated speech about the leagal benefits of doing the deed.

In the end though it comes down to 3 possible reasons...

1. You want a really big party and this seems like a bloody good excuse, and it's followed by a bloody good holiday to recover from the hangover.
2. You felt like it.
3. You've caught some strange brain eating virus that robs you of all sense and causes you to act irrationally when asked simple questions by your parents i.e. When are you two going to get married?

Seriously though in this day and age when living together, unmarried, is quite common, it all boils down to social and political prejudice, and preconceptions. Without getting married your partner is ineligable to your pension, you have no right outside of a will to any of your partners estate, and well I was going to say that the married Income Tax allowance is unfairly not available to you without children but the government have put a stopper to that benefit.

Must be the virus....or it could just be love (but that may just be another viral infection!)