I think marriage is rooted in some pretty dodgy traditions, but like most things, people cherry pick the parts of it that appeal and then either don’t do the others, or conveniently overlook the history of those parts.
eg your dad walking you down the aisle feels like a lovely symbolic gesture but him “giving you away” reeks of property being transferred, so maybe you just see it as a proud dad accompanying his DD on her big day instead of how it was originally intended.
Similarly the ring, originally a symbol of ownership, but these days it’s a symbol of commitment to each other, especially if you both wear one. Things have changed and marriage IS now usually about love, not about the social or financial improvement of families.
I do find the whole proposal business problematic, successful independent women reduced to passive princesses, waiting around to be deemed worthy. However, if my DP and I get married, it will mean a huge amount to me that it isn’t just a sensible conversation about living arrangements and wills etc but something about how much he loves and appreciates me. While I understand that I have an equal say in when/if/how I get married, there is still something special about a surprise gift of a ring, a romantic moment of him declaring his love and intention to spend his whole life with me, that means more than any talk about next of kin or sharing our assets.
Certainly for mums of young DCs marriage is extremely important for protecting them in case of a split. So many women on here who don’t realise what a precarious position they’re in as unmarried SAHMs.