Jim Burns and Doug Fields wish you the very best for your wedding, but sadly, they won't be able to make it. What they are here for is your marriage. Jim and Doug have seen it all. They have worked with many couples and have studied extensively to uncover the essential elements for making marriages thrive. This book is their early wedding gift to you: a comprehensive, easy-to-navigate road map for beginning your union. Filled with premium fuel for the journey—including meaningful exercises, hard truths, and conversations starters—this book will nourish and guide your relationship for the long haul.

Pulling off a successful wedding is one thing but fortifying a lifelong relationship is an entirely different endeavor. Relationship experts Jim Burns and Doug Fields invite couples to take a proactive approach to their marriage union—one that doesn’t shy away from sticky areas and tough topics—in order to develop a solid course from the very beginning. Jim and Doug apply decades of frontline experience working with couples into this fresh and practical resource. Organized in nine highly relevant sessions, each centered on key biblical and relational touchstones, Burns and Fields equip participants to confront big issues including communication, finances, spirituality, and intimacy—prior to their wedding day. Great as a stand-alone resource or partnered with the Getting Ready for Marriage: A Practical Road Map for Your Journey Together book and companion video package.

The saying goes "When you marry, you don't just marry an individual, you marry a whole family." But more specifically, you are marrying the influences that family has had on your spouse. Our families have shaped our views on everything from religion to finances to sex, and, whether helpful or harmful, these views are brought to our marriage and can unknowingly affect it. Getting Ready for Marriage Workbook helps engaged couples and newlyweds: learn what "ghosts" they bring to marriage examine their family backgrounds determine guidelines for their own marriage Through interactive exercises, couples discover the roots of their beliefs, sight potential problem areas, and learn how to successfully work through problems. Couples are then encouraged to make their own covenants in specific areas such as financial matters, resolving conflict, religious orientation, and family planning & children—essential in building a strong marriage partnership.

How do we know when we're ready for marriage? What's the secret to having a great engagement? How can we get married without drowning in debt? Where better to turn for answers than those who have gone before--experts in the area of marriage, relationships, and finance who know from experience what it takes to make the days leading up to the wedding (and the years that follow) a success! How to Know When You're Ready for Marriage--Les and Leslie Parrot Secrets to Having a Great Engagement--David and Claudia Arp Getting Married Without Drowning in Debt--Ron Blue What to Do With Wedding Jitters--Robert and Rosemary Barnes Making Your Wedding More Than a Ceremony--David and Jan Stoop How to Have a Great Wedding Night--Cliff and Joyce Penner Getting Married When Your Parents Don't Approve--John Trent How to Handle the Wedding Bell Blues--H. Norman Wright For Those Getting Married Again--Thom Whiteman After the Honeymoon--Les and Leslie Parrott

Your emotions are soaring with the thrill of new love, exciting dreams, and a growing anticipation of one of the biggest events of your life. This is a time to enjoy. But it?

This handbook is written to help busy pastors, missionaries, lay counselors and marriage mentors with a structured course for conducting marriage preparation. Topics addressed: 1) View of Marriage. What expectations does each partner have about marriage? 2) Family of Origin. How does each partner feel about his or her own family background? What traits of their family background does each partner want to or not want to carry into their marriage? 3) Roles. Does the couple have a biblical understanding of their marital roles? 4) Communication. Does each partner feel heard by the other? Does each person feel comfortable sharing feelings with the other? 5) Conflict resolution. Does the couple have the ability to resolve problems without destructive side effects? 6) Parenting. Do both partners want to have children? How will they be taken care of, and by whom? 7) Sex. What are their views of sex before marriage? Who or what are their sources for sex education? 8) Finances. How are money matters to be decided? Have they agreed on a budget?

You're in love, and it's the real thing. You have made a joyous decision together--a decision destined to change your lives forever: You're getting married! Now, as you plan your wedding celebration, it is time to lay the foundation for a lifetime of love and romance. Today you can begin the important, lifelong task of building a strong Christian marriage. Created by FamilyLife, one of America's leading marriage and family ministries, Preparing for Marriage is a dynamic, comprehensive program designed to help you prepare for life together after the cake is cut and the guests head home. That is when the real adventure begins--the adventure of creating an intimate, lasting, and biblical marriage! Inside you'll find eight sessions of fun, romantic study that will help you target areas for growth in your relationship. You can work through Preparing for Marriage as a couple, with a pastor or premarital counselor, or with a small group. Don't just plan your wedding . . . prepare for your marriage!

Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts, created by relationship experts Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, is a comprehensive marriage program designed specifically for today’s couples by a couple. And now, in this updated edition, the Parrotts’ award-winning approach has been expanded to incorporate ten more years of feedback, research, and professional experience. This is more than a book—it’s practically a self-guided premarital counseling course, and it is used by counselors and churches across the country and, now in ten languages, worldwide. Questions at the end of every chapter help you explore each topic personally. Companion men’s and women’s workbooks* full of self-tests and exercises help you apply what you learn and enjoy intimate discussions along the way. There is even a seven-session DVD kit (with a bonus session for people entering a second marriage) available that you can use on your own or with other couples in a group or a class that want to grow together. In this dynamic DVD you’ll not only hear entertaining and insightful teaching from the Parrotts, but you’ll also meet other real-life couples who provide amazing candor and perspective. Relationship experts Les and Leslie Parrott show you the secrets to building a marriage that lasts. • Uncover the most important misbeliefs of marriage • Learn how to communicate with instant understanding • Discover the secret to reducing and resolving conflict • Master the skills of money management • Get your sex life off to a great start • Understand the three essential ingredients to lasting love • Discover the importance of becoming “soul mates” … and more. Make your marriage everything it is meant to be. Save your marriage—before (and after) it starts.

You must read this awesome and unique book, if you want to get married. You will learn how to prepare for a husband or wife and have a good marriage.