Hindu marriage act is utterly confusing

They say Hindu marriage is not a contract. So while marrying the law does not get involved. But once you get married it becomes contract like and the law gets involved. You’ll routinely see judge passing comments like if you married then you have to pay your wife, which would be fair had they involved themselves before marriage. They should have made sure that only those men can get married who will pay their wife ad infinitum and agree with such conditions. No one enforces that before marriage (legally) but suddenly there is a contract in place after marriage. Isn’t this senseless?