"Anyone who’s remained stubbornly single through their 20s (or refuses to marry, or legally can’t) knows the financial woes of helping your friends “build a new life together!”: the numerous pre-parties (and required gifts), followed by the wedding (travel, hotel, clothes, and an even nicer gift). Marriage, in Western culture, operates on the model that a new couple needs “one of everything” in order to make a home, and should keep buying until they get it—and all those fancy cupcakes require lots of cooking gear too."