A feature of many traditional religions is that they will not marry people who haven't first completed a marriage preparation course of counseling. This is an old fashioned idea, but one that has a lot of merit. Marriage preparation is a sort of pre-emptive marriage counseling - the aim is to make sure that there aren't unresolved issues that may endanger the marriage in the longrun, and to offer advice and instruction about how to communicate in a marriage partnership.

Nowadays, people are starting to opt for marriage preparation once again, maybe in an effort to 'beat the statistics' and avoid falling prey to marriage breakup. It is in everyone's interest to give their marriage the best chance they possibly can. For most of us, this means being prepared for issues that may come up in the future, making sure that you and your future spouse share common goals, and just building communication skills. Any issues that are coming up before the marriage should be resolved now, before they get the chance to get out of hand.

Modern marriage preparation does not have to be affiliated with any religion - in fact, it often isn't. That having been said, there are many couples who opt for traditional marriage preparations, such as that offered by the Catholic church. Of course, in the Catholic religion, when a couple gets married they are expected to stay married - there is no divorce. This puts a different perspective on marriage preparation. As well as religious instruction about the significance of marriage, couples are offered coping skills that will help them to stay together. If you aren't religious, you may, of course, benefit from the same sort of preparation and counseling. Before embarking on a marriage, it is important to have a solid grasp of what marriage will mean in your life, and to make sure that your potential spouse shares many of the same ideas and goals.

Too many couples end up in marriage counseling or therapy when they feel that the marriage isn't working - in fact, it may already be falling apart. Marriage counseling at that point can still be valuable, but in a sense, it's like shutting the barn door after the cows are out! Marriage preparation is a valuable step that lets you be sure of what you're doing.