A small divide

So after much contemplation, and fighting within myself I asked My Love his thoughts on the "Marriage Proposal."  His thoughts were very clear: Marriage will not change anything about our relationship as it is right now.  So because it will not add anything to the equation, he feels that it is a mute point.  Without going into to much detail about the entire situation, I responded in perfect Jess fashion.  I stated that after a decade of dedication, love, passion, and care I felt that I had every reason to ask for the honor of being his wife.  It has been, after all, something that I have wanted for over 17 years.  ( I fell for him when I was a freshman in High school) More than half my life I have grown up with the dream of one day becoming Mrs. "D"  I have practiced my name over 10,000 times, planned the whole thing 2 different ways on Pinterest.  Yet, it is still and for ever will be just that....a dream.  I am unsure on how I truly feel about all this right now.  I'm conflicted, somewhat hurt, but still feel very fortunate and happy to have a person to have in my life for this long.  Someone who has stood by me through the worst of times in my life (no joke).  As well as the best times in my life (all of them really).  So as it is, I am torn.  What is the appropriate way to respond?  Should I be happy that I have him and not the whole dream?  Should I stand up for what I want out of the relationship knowing that it is not what he wants at all?  The answer is yes and no.  I love him, there is no question in my mind that I am crazy about him.  He has given me  life that has surpassed anything I could of imagined for myself.  The family that we have created has given me more love and affection a woman could ever need.  If I were to compare our relationship to any other that I know I cannot.  We are "Us", unique, beautiful, brilliant, crazy, unyielding.  Marriage to me now, is about nothing else but that, us.  To have the honor of being his wife, not a girlfriend.  Being a wife is ok, but being his wife has no comparison.  That says to me that he wants no one else, that he wants nothing more than to experience life with me by his side.  If something goes wrong, he wants me there to help him get through it.  Being his wife means that he knows I will take care of him at his worst as well as his best.  To be his cheerleader when he needs one, and a silent steady heartbeat to calm him after a hard day.  It says "she knows me like no one else, and I know her like no one else." And without question, if you need me I will be there, whatever it may be.  But more importantly, it says that I am the woman of his dreams, and he wants the world to know that I am his.  Maybe it is selfish in a way that I want that validation.  But the validation is a small fraction of what it means to me.  Why is that wrong?