Ramblings of a Marriage Junkie

If you are engaged, your relationship is at a unique stage of development. More than likely, you and your mate are really happy, very excited about your future, and feel like you are “more in love than any other couple who has been where we’re at.”

In an attempt to not totally burst your bubble, on behalf of the hundreds of millions of couples who have ever been married — we all felt that same optimism when we were engaged. Then we got married, and real life hit our relationships: work, bills, laundry, kids, school activities, etc. Most of us survived. Too many did not.

In the whirlwind of wedding planning, premarital education offers couples a safe place to slow down and think about their upcoming marriage. Premarital education can ensure your relationship not only survives the transition from engagement to marriage, but also prepares you to overcome the obstacles and challenges that lead some marriages into relationship ruts. If you are hesitant, apprehensive, or not interested in taking part in premarital education before your wedding day, read on.

Here are the first four of one dozen reasons why you and your mate should prepare for your marriage.

Divorce-Proof Your Marriage: Couples who had premarital preparation rate their marriages stronger, and are less likely to divorce than those who didn’t have premarital education. This isn’t a matter of opinion. Some really smart people put a study together, asked a bunch of people some questions, made this discovery, and shared the results with the world. (Find links to these informative studies at http://www.fullmarriageexperience.com/fme.aspx?pid=305.)

Make Sure You (and Your Mate) are Marrying the Right Person: You are about to sign a legally binding contract, graft your family trees, and make a public, lifelong vow before your family, friends; and for those with a religious faith, enter a covenant with the Creator of the Universe. Do you really, really know this person you want to marry? Premarital education can help you and your mate focus on the right questions, primary issues, and essential discussions to help the two of you determine if you are marrying the right people.

Set Your Marriage Up for Success: Have you ever read the “secrets of success” from couples married for fifty years? Newspapers often quote their words of wisdom: “we don’t go to bed angry,” “we try to laugh a lot,” “we just take it one day at a time.” While snappy and simple, these principles take a lot of work and determination. Couples who go through premarital education can learn these principles for success (and more) and put them into practice on the first day of matrimony.

This Investment Pays Huge Dividends: Want sound financial advice? Invest money into savings as early as you can, as much as you can, as often as you can and leave it alone for many, many years. This gives your money the most amount of time to build interest, and build interest on the interest. Want sound marriage advice? Invest time and energy into your relationship as early as you can, as much as you can, and as often as you can. But different from financial investments, couples can regularly reap the rewards of investing in their relationship, day-in and day-out. Premarital education will help you make a huge initial investment in your relationship.