If people spent as much time planning their marriages as they do their weddings there would be a lot less divorce.” Kenneth Stewart PhD

Many people pour hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars into the “big day” – the day of their wedding. The writer is not necessarily opposed to this – especially when the big day arrives and there is a chocolate fountain for guests – however there often seems to be more of a focus on the wedding than on the life long committment being made.

Too often couples spend all their energies planning the wedding day, assuming happily everything after will fall into place. This is not always the case, and couples who have overlooked premarital counseling may not have the tools that prove helpful when weathering the rough spots.

There are various ways to attain premarital/commitment counseling. Prepare/Enrich is an assessment tool used around the world which helps couples to learn more about each other and where their strength and growth areas are. Counselors trained and certified in Prepare/Enrich share researched information and concrete actions which enable each couple to enjoy each other more on a daily basis, and make it through the hard times too.

Seeking premarital/pre-commitment counseling can be one of the best gifts you can give to each other – and will provide you with many of the tools needed to help your love last a lifetime.

* Huffington Post reports William and Kate to complete premarital counseling

Trisha Falvey, MA, LAMFT is certified to administer Prepare/Enrich and offers a premarital/pre-commitment program which is suitable for ALL couples.