Why Premarital Counseling and Preparation Will Benefit Your Marriage
You just got engaged, and you’re in the throes of wedding planning season. You’re visiting venues, choosing wedding colors, and trying on dresses and suits…but have you and your fiancé talked about premarital counseling? As you plan your dream wedding, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the day, forgetting about the value of investing in your marriage. Beyond the ceremony and celebration that lasts a few hours, your marriage is a covenant with each other and the Lord.
So, are you wondering if you should consider premarital counseling? There are many benefits to premarital preparation which may include premarital counseling, premarital education courses, and premarital retreats. Let’s look!
What is premarital counseling and preparation?
Why is premarital counseling important?
How will premarital counseling benefit our marriage?
What can we expect to address during premarital counseling?
What is premarital counseling and preparation?
Premarital counseling is a form of couples counseling that takes place prior to getting married designed to help you prepare for the marriage journey. Additionally, some couples take part in other forms of premarital preparation such as online education courses or premarital retreats.
Inevitably, you and your soon-to-be spouse will encounter situations throughout your marriage you’ve yet to face in your relationship. By attending premarital counseling or preparing in other ways, you’ll spend time considering different scenarios, learning tools to help you navigate situations, and engaging in conversation in a safe space.
Premarital counseling and preparation will not help you solve every problem before it arises in your marriage; however, it will give you tools to help you talk through important topics and identify potential conflict areas now, so you’ll be better equipped to navigate them in the future.
From a Christian perspective, premarital counseling helps you keep top of mind that your marriage is a covenant with one another and the Lord. You’ll learn how to navigate this relationship differently than a transactional relationship.
Why is premarital counseling important?
Spending time investing in your marriage during the premarital period is vital—you don’t want to wait until after you tie the knot to invest in the health of your relationship. If you and your fiancé are willing to work to better your marriage now by participating in premarital counseling, premarital education courses, or premarital retreats, you’re off to a great start.
How will premarital counseling benefit our marriage?
There are many benefits to premarital counseling. Here are a few.
- You’ll learn effective communication skills and conflict management techniques. You’ll begin working through ways you communicate similarly and differently. And, you’ll learn valuable tools for dealing with conflict when it arises.
- You’ll address challenging topics such as religion, money, sex, and extended family. During sessions, you may discuss your spiritual walks, what type of church you want to attend, what money means to you, sexual expectations, etc.
- You’ll begin planning for your future and working through some of your expectations for your family. Do you want to have children? And if so, will you raise them from a biblical perspective, for example?
- You’ll celebrate positive aspects of your relationship and what you’re doing well.
- You’ll ask questions about marriage and discuss any fears or anxieties you have.
- You’ll understand one another better and connect on a deeper level as you learn new things about yourself and each other.
What’s important to keep in mind—premarital counseling will not solve every issue you’ll face in your marriage. You and your soon-to-be spouse will encounter things together you’re not aware of yet. However, premarital counseling will provide a solid foundation for your marriage.
What can we expect to address during premarital counseling?
Below are some topics you should be prepared to talk about during sessions.
- Communication styles
- Conflict management
- Spiritual beliefs and religion
- Finances
- Sex and intimacy
- Family relationships
- Marriage roles and expectations
- Time spent together
- Children and parenting
- Fears
- Goals and dreams
Is it bad to attend premarital counseling?
No. Choosing to participate in premarital counseling is a great way to honor your relationship and begin taking ownership of investing in your marriage now.
Does WinShape Marriage offer premarital counseling?
WinShape Marriage does not offer premarital counseling; however, we do offer Marriage Prep, a premarital weekend retreat for couples, who are seriously dating, considering engagement, or currently engaged, to learn essential skills to navigate marriage expectations, communication, conflict management, and more.
Basically, you’ll dive into the same topics you’d discuss during premarital counseling, but you’ll get all the benefits of being at WinShape Retreat—delicious meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, community with other couples in the same season of life, and alone time with your fiancé to relax and have fun together during this exciting time. You won’t go wrong attending, even if you’re already doing or plan to do premarital counseling.
So, you learned what premarital counseling and preparation is, why it’s important, how it will benefit your marriage, and what you can expect during premarital counseling sessions. Are you ready to give it a try? We hope it’s a positive experience for you and your significant other, and we hope to see you soon when you attend a WinShape Marriage experience.
