Weddings, whats the point?

Tradition is the social glue that helps hold a culture together. Over time these traditions can change as our cultures evolve. For example, it used to be the norm as late as the 1950's for men to wear hats whenever they went outside. If meeting a woman, they were expected to doff their hats. There was an entire etiquette built around the wearing of hats, such as removing a hat when one entered a building. 

I don't see weddings as being any different. A wedding is a social celebration of the union of two people. As you have already noted, a wedding is filled with all sorts of traditions. 

Our world is full of all sorts of traditions such as the shaking of hands when strangers meet, the western tradition of putting up Christmas trees, and exchanging gifts during holidays. The Chinese for example exchange gifts during their Lunar New Year. In the western hemisphere we tend to exchange gifts during Christmas. The Muslims exchange gifts during two of their holidays, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

Different cultures have different traditions. The Chinese hand out red envelopes filled with money for participants who attend a funeral. They also wear white instead of black at their funerals. Asians in general believe in taking their shoes off when entering a home. The Bedouin tend to eat from a common platter, using onlythe three middle fingers of right hands to scoop up food, It is absolutely forbidden to use the left hand because in the Bedouin culture, this hand is used for wiping one's self after having used the bathroom.  In the Ashanti culture, a newborn is carried by his mother on her back throughout their village. The mother is then given gifts and money. 

While laws provide the legal structural framework of our respective societies, cultural traditions provide norm referenced guidelines for our behavior and help with defining how we interact with others. 

Tradition is the social glue that helps hold a culture together. Over time these traditions can change as our cultures evolve. For example, it used to be the norm as late as the 1950's for men to wear hats whenever they went outside. If meeting a woman, they were expected to doff their hats. There was an entire etiquette built around the wearing of hats, such as removing a hat when one entered a building. 

I don't see weddings as being any different. A wedding is a social celebration of the union of two people. As you have already noted, a wedding is filled with all sorts of traditions. 

Our world is full of all sorts of traditions such as the shaking of hands when strangers meet, the western tradition of putting up Christmas trees, and exchanging gifts during holidays. The Chinese for example exchange gifts during their Lunar New Year. In the western hemisphere we tend to exchange gifts during Christmas. The Muslims exchange gifts during two of their holidays, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

Different cultures have different traditions. The Chinese hand out red envelopes filled with money for participants who attend a funeral. They also wear white instead of black at their funerals. Asians in general believe in taking their shoes off when entering a home. The Bedouin tend to eat from a common platter, using onlythe three middle fingers of right hands to scoop up food, It is absolutely forbidden to use the left hand because in the Bedouin culture, this hand is used for wiping one's self after having used the bathroom.  In the Ashanti culture, a newborn is carried by his mother on her back throughout their village. The mother is then given gifts and money. 

While laws provide the legal structural framework of our respective societies, cultural traditions provide norm referenced guidelines for our behavior and help with defining how we interact with others.