Marriage Prep Weekend: "A Wedding is a Day...

...A Marriage is a Lifetime."

I've spent a bit of time focused on small-ish details that sent me reeling back into wedding planning. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have devoted several posts about battling to flower victory if it weren't important to me.

Image via Openview Partners

However, I feel a detour is now appropriate because Mr. Hot Tea and I have arrived at the weekend of our Engaged Encounter. As Catholics, we must complete a weekend seminar to fulfill a requirement in order to be married in our local parish. Specifically, we seek:

Image via Escie's World

This little piece of paper is our passport to matrimony! But more than that, the weekend is a timeout from real life to connect and reflect on our relationship. Don't take my word for it, it's in writing on their website, so it must be true...

"Wondering why to attend for an Entire Weekend? The weekend experience offers each couple the insights, the tools and the confidence to enrich their relationship and strengthen their love for one another. They learn that good marriages don't just happen."

Engaged Encounter San Jose

Sounds good to us! We devoted a lot of time prior to our engagement in couples' counseling to develop great communication skills and I'm interested to discover what new things we might learn in a retreat format. 

The title and header of this post is the Engaged Encounter motto. I wholeheartedly agree and look forward to another [very short] break from wedding planning - how convenient for me! 

Think good thoughts for Mr. Hot Tea this weekend. Especially since we can't be each other's roommates, we're sure to bring a pair of these. Just in case.

Image via Hear It

What steps have you taken to keep the marriage at the forefront of wedding planning? Was it a requirement or self-recommended? And how satisfying did you find the process of reflection and connection?