The Meaning of Marriage

Despite my absurd hours of table-making and color-planning, I am forced to think that I know nothing of the meaning of marriage.

I understand compromise, to be sure. Not on certain things - if the O.C. is on, I'm watching it, and I don't care if President Bartlett dies that week, we can tape it. J/K - not that brutal, but you know what I mean. I understand I probably will have to cook (just can't picture it) and clean (does anyone picture this?) and yes, maybe I'll even have those little terrors we like to call "children." I get "till death do us part", the concept of sleeping with one person your entire life (I may think it's crazy but I get it), and I definitely get the whole "you can now have sex!" thing, albeit only two weeks a month.

What I can't comprehend is how marriage seems to literally make people into one entity. Suddenly, you must be invited everywhere your fiance/spouse is invited. Someone has to pay $200 so that some guy/girl they've never even met can eat food at their wedding while they awkwardly sit on the side because they don't really know anyone. And most of all, all responses start to come in "we" format. I didn't ask if you, in the plural, could come to the party. I asked if you, let's call you Jane, could come to the party. In no way did my question call for a "sure, we'll be there!" or a "no, we can't make it." You are still Jane - just one person. Aren't you?

Well, like I said, I don't get it.