A pre-marriage course can help you as a couple to develop the skills needed to smooth the bumps in married life and confirm that you’re indeed ready to make this life commitment. It can encourage a lifetime of closer communication between you, and should reduce future conflict. Small problems tend to develop into big problems if not dealt with right away, and most married couples with serious conflicts report that their long-term problems took root in the early years of their marriage.

How effective is a pre-marriage course in preventing divorce?

Studies show that marriage preparation classes can lower the divorce rate. While no course will help you avoid divorce if both partners are not committed to the marriage, research suggests that if couples develop the important skills of communicating, addressing and resolving conflicts while they are building intimacy and friendship, they will have far fewer triggers to divorce, based on surveys of divorced couples.

When should we take a marriage preparation class?

Because courses are targeted at improving relationship skills, there is no hard and fast answer to this question. Newlywed couples can get as much benefit from marriage classes as engaged couples. However, it is usually in the first few years of marriage that couples are most open and motivated to work on their relationship. This is the same time when most of the serious relationship challenges occur. And developing good conflict resolution skills early on will help diffuse problems before they become serious relationship-busters.

What are the benefits of taking Pre-marriage classes?

A course can:

• Affirm the strengths in your relationship
• Clarify the expectations you both have for the marriage and for each other
• Assess your compatibility
• Identify relationship areas that need work
• Identify personality conflicts and acceptable compromises
• Avoid negative exchanges
• Increase emotional and sexual intimacy
• Manage gender-specific conflicts
• Create a solid foundation for a healthy and rewarding marriage