Maximize Your Marital Relationship By Making Marriage Counseling Part Of Your Wedding Planning

When two people fall in love and decide to spend their life together, they believe their love will stand the test of time. That is not a bad thing, but looking at the divorce statistics should be a warning signal for any couple preparing to walk down the aisle and pledge their vows to one another. Going through a course of marriage counseling visits prior to your big day can help you develop key strategies for keeping your marriage healthy and happy.

Get a realistic view of marriage

Problems often occur in a relationship when couples have an unrealistic view of what marriage looks like. Couples may have grown up in homes where they never saw a good relationship lived out, which can further lead to problems. Understanding that marriage is much more than romance and happy feelings can help you not panic or think your marriage is in trouble if you do not always have romantic feelings about your partner.

Learn to discern subtle signs of trouble

Prevention is much better than trying to deal with major marriage conflicts. Learning subtle signs of pending problems can help you address key issues before they balloon out of control. Having knowledge of what to watch for will help you discern what is normal in marriage and what may be a sign that you or your spouse's needs are not being met.

Create healthy boundaries in your relationship

Setting healthy boundaries is important for maintaining a strong marriage. A marriage counselor can help you work on which boundaries are important to both of you. Finances are one area boundaries can be helpful and establishing limits on how much money you can spend without consulting each other can help you avoid conflict over finances.

Deciding how you will manage holiday family functions is also important. For example, you may decide to rotate holidays and spend every other year with each side of the family to avoid being stressed out every holiday by trying to attend multiple functions in one day.

For a couple in love and planning their wedding, going to marriage counseling may seem foolish. However, making marriage counseling a priority before you get married can help you understand common challenges that show up in marriage and learn effective ways to manage disagreements when they do arise. Like preventive medical care, scheduling marriage counseling before your say your vows can help you avoid bigger problems later and keep your marriage healthy.

For more information about marriage counseling, contact a local office.