Premarital counseling

Totally worth it! We are currently in the middle of ours. It's a six session course and we meet with a mentoring couple--they have been married over 30 years! We will also meet with them a few times after we are married!

There aren't really any surprises for us. We've already talked about most of the topics covered. But, I think it's a great way to re-enforce what we are already doing. And, learning great skills for when (or if!) times get tough. There will always be unexpected things in a relationship and I think by building a solid foundation now, it will solidify us when things don't go according to plan!

Depends entirely on your church. For us, our pre marital counseling is one on one with the Reverend at our church. It's four one-hour meetings, to be completed at any time before the wedding. We have had one so far - it was basically a relaxed one hour discussion period.

The Reverend would ask us questions, we'd discuss it and move on. Pretty easy.

They are usually held over a weekend. I've heard that others are held over numerous weeks though (like once a week) depending on the church and availability.

I was honestly reluctant going in and was unsure what to expect. I knew they would cover topics such as finances, children and other things but my fiance and I had already discussed most of this, so I thought it would be a waste of time.

Actually doing it though, while there weren't any surprises, we still learned a lot and got to know other couples, especially the ones running the classes, as they impart their experiences throughout their years of marriage to us. I found the connections we made with others more fulfilling than anything.

I also really enjoyed the quizzes and writing letters to one another as we learned a little more about ourselves. Our church also had experts come (a financial planner and a family therapist) to work with us, which I found quite informative.

I definitely still got something out of it, even if my fiance and I had already discussed many of the topics covered, and it was helpful to speak with experts and other couples.