Who's arguing?
I certainly don't mean to contradict any replies who say that this combination does not mean 'marriage', but I'd like to explain why it can
Oh, we all agreed that the combo could indicate marriage...our objections were to the assumptions that (1) it DID signal marriage for sure and (2) that it indicated a romantic sort of marriage over a rational/traditional or necessitated union. .
Firstly, tarot is a personal tool with universal imagery. The fundamental truth is that in any context, any card can mean anything to the subconscious of the reader.
Yes? So? I mean, we all get strong messages from the cards and any one could scream, "MARRIAGE!" at us even though it doesn't traditionally mean that. But why ask here about what the cards mean if you're relying on your personal tools, imagery and subconscious?
All social discussions of the tarot have to revolve around certain, agreed on meanings and symbolism. Otherwise you're going to say, "To me the Hanged Man means romantic marriage," and I'm going to say, "um, ok," and that's the end of the conversation.
However, based on traditional meanings, Hierophant alludes to religious rite and doctrine which is acceptably indicitive of vows and orthodoxy.
Yes. Which is why most of us agreed that it could indicate marriage for social, traditional or cultural reasons.
Celebacy and nakedness - abstinence and honeymoon bed (nudity)
This argument fails to convince as the vast majority of modern couples have either gone all the way or are living together prior to marriage. It only works if the couple is from a very traditional family/culture. In which case we go right back to the fact that most of us agreed that the Hierophant could indicate that kind of marriage...no Sun need.
Ultimately, I think you're missing the fact that the argument over these cards wasn't about whether the Hierophant & Sun "could" signal marriage. Believe me, none of us require convincing that it's *possible* for these two to indicate marriage. The reason we questioned and disagreed with the interpretation was because the reader seemed to believe that the combo was unambiguously about marriage; as if any reader seeing the two in a relationship reading should should hear romantic church bells ringing in their head.
And you, yourself, have show that's not true. By your our interpretation, this could mean someone "seeing the light of god" (Sun) and becoming a celibate priest (with great celebration and happiness for his choice).
However, even if we were to agree that the combination absolutely meant marriage, it would do a disservice to the reader if we failed to inform them that this pair doesn't suggest a romantic, soulmate, fairytale marriage, but rather one steeped in tradition and (given the Sun) the rational mind rather than the romantic. Our contrary opinions were to help the reader see what was really in those two cards (marriage or otherwise), rather than what they might have strongly wanted to see in them.