Merry making with Mary or marry her?

Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn:

Not the marrying kind? 

In the traditional Indian society, wedding is considered as a panacea to all social woes. Son loafing around aimlessly? Son does not take things seriously? Son very irresponsible and childish? Get him married, everything will sort out itself, they would say.
Rodney Dangerfield, on the other hand said something to the effect of 'Once I got into this institution called marriage, I stayed institutionalised!'
Call me old fashioned but I have been brought up to think that people declared their private intentions publicly before they get cozy privately. Or at least that was how it was portrayed to be.
Being privy to being a confidant of people's after hours' activities and private lives, I know that that is never the case, maybe of late or perhaps all the time just that people were discrete about it. People do not need that piece of paper to approve their biological urges. After all it is only natural. The birds and the bees do it, "why can't we?", they would say!
Then why have the paper, pomp and announcement at all? Well, the wife can change her name especially if her maiden name is tainted with a criminal record. The children can have a surname and the wife and kids can have a legitimate claim on the property if there is any.
Who needs the licence anyway?