These questions are not meant to replace premarital counseling. However, they can be a great way for you to strengthen your relationship with your partner and expose any hidden skeletons.
The 5 Languages of Love
Gary Chapman’s Five Languages of Love is another great DIY resource. This text is easy to read and helps couples determine how they love and what they want in return. Chapman’s website offers tons of useful tools and resources. Many of them are free and can be downloaded. Chapman’s work is Christian-oriented.
You can also follow up on his program by having some serious conversations. This will help you make more practical assessments and get to the bottom of the issues, such as how to pay off student loans or whether you are on the same page regarding having children.
Radical Marriage
A third-married relationship coach, David Steele, has had plenty of marital problems. His book Radical Marriage: Your Relationship as Your Greatest Adventure was co-authored with Dana’s wife. Do not be discouraged by the shaming cover art or annoying pull quotes. Instead, implement some of Steele’s suggestions, such as planning dates in four groups. One is planned by you and caters to your interests. You and your partner plan another, and then another one is planned by your spouse just for you. It sounds complicated, but Steele makes it easy to follow and breaks down the information into bite-sized chunks. The book includes some useful exercises, such as weekly check-ins and co-journaling. You can even rank your sex life to identify areas for improvement.
Monthly Countdown
It’s easy for people to forget that a wedding is a planning process. You can take a break from wedding planning and go on dress shopping once a month to focus on your marriage and lay the foundation for your future together. Counselor Sheryl Paul recommends that couples begin to commemorate their wedding date on an ongoing basis. This is a time for you and your partner to connect as a couple. You can also go on a hike or take a break from all the details of wedding planning.
Quaker Clearness
Most people associate the term “Quaker” with an image of an elderly man wearing a funny hat and eating oatmeal. Quakers, also known as members of the Religious Society of Friends, discarded the sexism and cumbersome trappings of traditional church marriages long before this was trendy. However, it’s the premarital counseling that is most useful for DIY premarital counseling.
Most Quakers reject traditional clergy because they believe everyone is equal and that no one is closer to God than any other. To help couples decide if they are ready to marry, Quakers form their own Clearness Committee.
