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…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
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.
(source: 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?
I hope you guys had a great time at your engaged encounter! I think that our premarital counseling sessions were a great way to look past the wedding planning and think about the marriage. We learned more about each other and built a stronger relationship.
Good luck at the retreat! I was just thinking the other night that these “us” focused weekends might be good post-marriage, too.
I hope your engaged encounter goes well, Teacup, and that it gives you and Mr. HT some time to reconnect and just be a couple! Can’t wait to hear more about it. 
Have a great time this weekend! I was just thinking about how much Mr. Ticket and I need a date night, your Engaged Encounter weekend sounds awesome.
we didnt do the engaged encounter weekend but we did do the full day class and it was amazing! seriously - its one of the things i will remember most about our engagement. It really brought us closer and that much more excited and ready to get married..I suggest anyone, catholic or not, to do something along these lines.
taking the test and going through the answers with the deacon was really neat too - surprisingly the section we agreed the most on was money, the least was religion! haha how embarrassing! mostly because its not something we have explored together much, we have talked about it, we both grew up catholic but his family was much more devout than mine so a lot of my answers were “undecided” where as he picked “Agree, Disagree” giving us different answers most of the time.
Good luck! I always think these kinds of things are a great idea even though we’ve chosen not to do it ourselves.
@Mrs. Elephant: I totally agree, thanks
@Mrs. Tartlet: That is a great idea! Sort of like preventative maintenance…
@Miss Parasol: Thank you for the sweet thoughts!
@Miss Ticket: OMG, we’ve totally neglected our date nights since I started hula-ing again and wedding plans have taken over. Probably should get back on track, maybe this weekend will reset date night for us
@totheislnds: The similarities/differences is the part that’s most interesting for me to find out, thanks for sharing!
@Miss Ladyfingers: It’s hard to find time, and I’m sort of glad the Church makes it a requirement
@kayakgirl73: Yay!
This isnt a requirement for us because our priest already knows us really well, I kind of wish we could have done this though I have heard really good things about it.
Our wedding counseling is very involved… or will be… once we actually schedule it. Long story, and i’ll be doing a whole post on it eventually. But I’m very interested to hear about your counseling.
We were trying to schedule premarital counseling but are rapidly running out of time. I almost wish it was required so I won’t have an excuse to keep putting it off. Can’t wait to hear how yours went!
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Mrs. Teacup, Santa Cruz Age and Occupation: 34, Pharmaceutical Sales Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, Ditto! (For a different company) Engagement Date: October 1, 2010 Wedding Date: October 2011 Venue: ceremony in our family's Catholic church in Watsonville; reception at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk About Me: I’m learning to embrace my true spirit as GIRLY GIRL after previous careers in the Navy and consulting for the government. My favorite hobby is SLEEP, with dancing HULA a close second. An INTROVERT in extrovert clothing, I’m questing to UNDO 34 years of TYPE A conditioning. Constantly processing the details of our upcoming nuptials, peek into this late blooming bride & groom's roller coaster ride to the altar. Giant Dipper required, sold separately.
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