Aside from the personal effects of being permanently changed, Bella is conflicted about her choice due to the thought of "[inflaming] an age-old conflict between vampires and werewolves" (Twilight Saga) after being bitten, along with the inevitability of the end of her friendship with Jacob. With nearly everyone "[telling her] why [they] think [she] should stay human" (Eclipse, 153), Bella is much more troubled with making immortality her final decision, unaware of "how to say goodbye to.being human" (Eclipse, 269).
Edward suggests the idea of marriage to Bella numerous times to express his true, undying love for her. As an attempt to coerce his stubborn lover further, he promises to "change [her] himself whenever [she] wanted" (Eclipse, 94), and even agrees to attempt to participate in coitus as long as she marries him first. Edward, being over 100 years old, was brought up with the notion that marriage is used to assert your love to your significant other, and is still accustomed to his old-fashioned ways. Bella on the other hand grew up in a broken home; her parents had divorced while she was still very young, and thus she did not believe in the purity of the custom, and "in [her] mind, marriage and eternity are not mutually exclusive or mutually inclusive concepts" (Eclipse, 277). Bella also struggles with the opinions of other people and what they could possibly think about such a hasty engagement since modern day society views getting married right out of high school as an unplanned pregnancy. "48 percent of those who marry before 18 are likely to divorce within 10 years, compared with 24 percent of those who marry after age 25" (New York Times). This imposed idea of the validity of teen marriages puts an added strain on the conflicted protagonist's choice. However, after much compromise and sacrifice, Bella finally agrees to marry Edward with the promise of "every single day of forever" (Eclipse, 460).