Often when thinking of wedding season, we think of spring and summer weddings. And while it’s true, many weddings occur in those seasons, there is a second season of weddings that is nearly as popular for couples.
Did you know that 42% of weddings occur in the fall?¹ It’s true! That is a lot of couples tying the knot beneath fiery fall foliage.
Crisp, autumn air, pumpkins, harvest hues…what’s not to love?
Perhaps you find yourself currently planning those fall nuptials, and amidst all of the seemingly never-ending to-dos of cakes, flowers, dresses, gifts, invitations, and photos, etc., you find yourself getting lost in the details.
Weddings themselves are not about the perfect color scheme or cake flavors.
They are not about the family challenges that (often) ensue.
They are not about the groom.
They are not about even about the bride!
Rather, they are about the unifying couple—in essence—the marriage.
With all of the planning and demands of throwing this massive celebration, it can be easy to lose this perspective. However, it is essential to put some thought into it.
What are you doing to establish a solid foundation for you marriage?
Many think that they will sort out those details after the big day. However, there are numerous benefits to pouring into your marriage from the very beginning!
One of the best ways to do this is to engage in premarital counseling.
According to the American Psychological Association, participating in premarital counseling has been shown to not only create a 30% increase in marital satisfaction, but also to help you gain many other benefits at the same time.²
Some of the benefits, to name a few, are improved relationship quality, better overall communication, lower relationship conflict, and even lower divorce rates. According to Prepare/Enrich, a leading marital and premarital couples counseling curriculum, premarital counseling can actually reduce your divorce rate risk by 30%!³
You may be wondering how sitting with a stranger and discussing the details of your relationship could be beneficial.
Ultimately, the primary goal of premarital counseling is to take an honest and open look at both the strength and growth areas of your unique relationship. We take a look at what makes your relationship special, what works, and what ways to lean in and work as a team to better your relationship and set it up for success in the long run.
In shedding light on the potential problem and growth areas, awareness is increased, and increased awareness empowers the couple to address the potential problems before they become overwhelmingly large and seemingly too difficult to overcome.
Some of the main target areas that we focus on in premarital counseling are finances, family planning, relationship roles and dynamics, families of origin, and, of course, communication and conflict resolution skills. Exploring these topics and more are geared toward fostering conversations about areas that sometimes get pushed aside by the excitement and busyness of the wedding planning season.
A therapist can help you navigate these topics, highlighting areas that might have gone unnoticed, or engaging you as a couple to navigate stuck points and prevent those problems from building up on you.
Marital problems, discord, and even divorce don’t happen overnight. Rather, these often come from a series of unresolved issues that build up and fester over time.
So often couples come into counseling as a last ditch effort—a Hail Mary to save their relationship. The problem with that is that there are often years of issues built up, the couple is disconnected, and they are each feeling desperate for relief. Often, the couple has a better success rate if they begin marital therapy before the growth areas warp into unmanageable monsters.
Premarital counseling gets you far ahead of the curve.
Already tied the knot and didn’t get a chance to do premarital counseling? No worries! If the best time is before the marriage, the second best time to set up a session is today!
Relationships take work to maintain. You get out of them what you both put into them. What better way to pour into your marriage for a solid foundation than premarital counseling? Our counselors would love to work with you. Reach out to start your counseling journey today!
Calye Bowen is a graduate of Southern Nazarene University where she received a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology. For several years Calye worked in banking, management, and the dental field before realizing that her passion instead is in walking alongside someone through whatever obstacles they might be trying to overcome, any battles they are fighting, and any challenges they are facing. Calye feels it is an empowering experience to be seen and to be understood and believes wholeheartedly that it is within the safe spaces of the counseling relationship that each person can find the healing and restoration that they are seeking.
Calye Bowen, LPC
Wellspring Counseling Center, PLLC
2524 N Broadway
Edmond, OK 73034
405.548.5622
¹Iacia, Samantha. When is Wedding Season? Here are the Most Popular Wedding Months. The Knot. https://www.theknot.com/content/is-there-an-off-season-for-weddings
²DeAngelis, Tori (2017). Premarital Counseling: A Vital, Untapped Niche. American Psychological Association, 48(4). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/04/premarital-counseling
³Why is Prepare/Enrich Right for Your Relationship? Prepare/Enrich. https://www.prepare-enrich.com/couples/why-prepare-enrich/
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