Yes it does make a difference if your partner/spouse dies. My cousin aged 60 had a catastrophic accident and he and his partner of 30 years got married last Friday. He will not last another decade. A widow has more rights to finance than a partner. They have a daughter and he has another two from a first marriage. All these complications are made more straightforward if you are a spouse.
We don't have children and neither married before and have wills .