The ringing-in of bells this New Year’s Eve heralds the dawn of a historic year for many couples who are preparing for marriage in 2017. If you are one the fortunate couples then this is your time; your special year has arrived. Your days ahead will probably be greeted by feelings of uncontainable excitement accompanied by a little anxiety also. Your mind will be filled with so many positives and joys but some lingering doubts will hang around too. Are we really ready for this? Will everything come together on our special day? What if something goes horribly wrong? Can we financially cover all the costs and have the kind of wedding we both want?

On the positive side you know you can get through this together. Along the way each of you will have worked out the reasons you want to marry and make that special lifelong commitment to each other. You have already become a team and you yearn for that bright future of loving harmony. But have you both developed the skill set required to deal with the many responsibilities and decisions that lay ahead? Have you worked out what kind of marriage you want? What will it be like for you after you’re married? What are the areas you might need support, guidance and assistance on going forward? Would booking a marriage preparation course help you in this regard?

This issue is frequently placed on the to-do list for many couples who are understandably preoccupied with arranging all the detail of their wedding day. They primarily want to ensure that most significant day will become an unqualified success. But couples are also conscious that preparing for the wedding day is very different to preparing for life together after they’re married. The focus thereafter will not be on one momentous day, but on every momentous day of their shared lives.

The Accord Marriage Preparation Course offers a most comprehensive approach to looking at the issues that lie ahead of you. Testament to this are the countless number of couples who initially attend the course with little expectation but leave with life changing insights, skills and understanding of marriage. Covering an extensive number of modules the course is designed in a relaxed, sometimes humorous, collaborative and reflective manner that facilitates you to look at how you communicate together, how you manage conflict and how you explore the issue of commitment to one another within the Sacrament of Marriage. Covering multiple modules the course invites you to reflect together on issues such as your respective family of origin experiences; how you communicate; your conflict management style; marriage and parenthood; marriage and how you understand sexuality and intimacy. Many couples who attend are energised and affirmed by being able to share their experiences, insights and understandings with other couples who are also preparing for marriage.

Exercise:

Discuss together how you feel you might prepare for marriage. What are the areas in a marriage preparation course you feel might benefit you both?

For Your Information:

The Accord marriage preparation course, “Marriage – A Journey Not a Destination” offers an extensive series of activities around issues relating to the preparation for marriage. For further information visit: www.accord.ie