The guy I married in game and I have a serious relationship but we won't have any long-term commitments meaning the relationship will end likely if any of us quit FFXIV. So I guess you can say it's roleplay-ish since it's FFXIV-only but we aren't really roleplaying. I can't really commit to something for the long-term but even if what he and I have won't last forever, it was definitely worth the money for me.
So I dunno what people are on about over this eternal bonding needing to be something real and serious that leads to RL marriage and stuff. Fairly sure an in-game marriage system like this would attract a great deal of different ideas people may have about what it means to them though so while some people feel it's only worth it if it leads to something real, others may not. No sense on arguing with people over what they feel Eternal Bonding means to them. Though me and him have become a well known couple on the server because of how social I am lol >_>