Engaged Couples

Congratulations on your engagement!

In order to increase your odds of making your marriage to this person - whom you are head over heals in love with - a marriage that lasts a lifetime, we suggest a proactive marriage preparation program. For specific suggestions on what to include in YOUR marriage preparation program, click on Marriage Preparation Suggestions.

And one other thing. Continue to invest in this marriage relationship even after the wedding! Would you buy a new car and then never change the oil? Of course not - you recognize the importance of "preventive maintenance" for your car. The same exact principle applies to your marriage. We strongly suggest that every married couple participate in some sort of structured "Marriage Enrichment" program every year of their marriage; that's one of the best ways to "keep your love alive". We even have a section on this web site of special programs for Newly Married Couples; check it out either now, or soon after you are married.
- discussion questions and exercises. Free pdf developed and donated to Smart Marriages/CMFCE, LLC by Tamara Ranck.The PreMarital Conversation

It helps to compare a wedding and marriage to building a building. The wedding is the first shovel ceremony with the President of the Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor and City Fathers all present and then the senator makes a speech and turns the first shovel full of dirt and everyone present shakes hands and rejoices at the future of this buildingŠbut the empty lot still sits there. You have to build the building yet. Then you have to use the building. Then you have to pay for the building and keep the building maintained. And furnish it. And decorate it. A dedication is a nice thing and gets everyone pumped, but the work is just beginning.
Bing Wall, www.thrivingcouplesblog.com

Here's another take on the wedding day:

Little Mary was at her first wedding and gaped at the entire ceremony. When it was over, she asked her mother, “Why did the lady change her mind?”
Her mother asked, “What do you mean?”
"Well, she went down the aisle with one man and came back with another one.”

The table below lists some of the programs available for Engaged Couples in El Dorado County. The programs are listed in the order of when they occur. If the "Name of the Program" is underlined, this indicates that if you click there, you will be provided with more information about that program. Please contact the contact person indicated well in advance of the program you are interested in to make arrangements to participate in the program; many of these programs will fill up well before their start date.

The information is presented in the following format:

Name of Program

Town offered

Providing Organization

Days and Time

Dates

Cost

Contact Name

Telephone Number

Email Address

Catholic Engaged Encounter

Christ the King Retreat Center