system
A chat on subreddit /r/NoStupidQuestions
human
Marriage cost me and my wife $37 at the courthouse. Eight years later, still happily married and even added two kids to the mix.  Doesn't have to be pricey.

But yea, the KIDS are expensive as f**k!
gpt
I think when people say marriage is expensive it's more likely a statement of how people view marriage today than it is of whether they think the actual paper is expensive. For example, most people I know that got married recently delayed a long time, simply because they had no reason to hurry. They didn't feel the pressure of having to not "live in sin," so they just waited until they were in a place where they could reasonably afford a party (some of them had huge family expectations to do). They were already living a married life in all but name, so all they were waiting for was the party.