You have probably already spent many hours planning your wedding. There are so many things to think about: the dress, the cake, whom to invite, the honeymoon. All of these are important, but the wedding is just one day, while the marriage should last for the rest of your lives.

Alongside the wedding preparations, it is also important to spend time as a couple talking through your expectations of marriage. However much you think you have in common, you are still two separate individuals with different backgrounds, personalities, experiences, hopes and fears. The minister who is talking your service will probably want to spend time with you, talking through these issues.

Churches sometimes offer marriage preparation, perhaps as part of a group with other couples. This gives you an opportunity to think through possible areas of difficulty, and how to handle them as a couple.

Such topics might include:

• Communication
• Money
• Coping with conflict
• Sex
• In-laws and family issues
• Children

All of us in the Church hope that you have a wonderful wedding day, and that it will mark the beginning of a long and very happy marriage.