Before walking down the aisle, there are important conversations that you must have with your partner in order to set your union up for long-term success.

This is not meant to be intimidating, but it is necessary that you get on the same page or to seek the same understanding as the person that you’re supposed to spend the rest of your life with. These conversations about the most important things and values you each hold close should be discussed with care and sometimes, with a mediator present.

For many couples, premarital counseling helps navigate the difficult conversations that can come with preparing for not only a wedding, but a marriage. According to Brides.com, all couples can benefit from premarital counseling.

Your chosen couple’s therapist will guide your conversations about sex, children, religion, careers, money, and more so that both partners can openly discuss their views on the topic.

Premarital counseling is often required by many religions if you want to get married in their religious institution by a priest or pastor. However, this is not the only reason that couples seek a professional therapist to help them navigate these difficult topics. You do not have to be religious to benefit from premarital counseling– it can be extremely beneficial either way.

While many pre-wedding conversations between the couple that is about to wed typically are about wedding details and the excitement of the future, it’s also crucial to bring up topics like sex, children, religion, careers, money, etc. if you have not already discussed these in your relationship.

If these are hard topics to bring up to your partner or openly discuss with them, you’re not alone. And a licensed therapist can help with that! They’ll walk you through the important questions and values that couples must discuss before tying the knot and give you both the chance to speak your minds freely on them. If a consensus or compromise must be made on a topic, a therapist can help you reach that with no judgment.

So, a few weeks or months before the wedding, consider either opening the floor for these topics or scheduling a few counseling appointments. Communication is key in a healthy relationship; and something that you must have in a functional marriage.

If you need some assistance getting the conversations started, try asking each other and providing honest answers for the following questions.

1. What are your expectations for sex in a marriage?
2. Do you want to have children, and what does your timeline look like for a family?
3. What do you want religion to look like in our family and marriage?
4. What is your career plan?
5. How would you like for us to separate or combine our finances and financially plan for the future?

If you haven’t already, talk through these important questions and make sure that you two don’t have any crucial, fundamental differences on the matters.

Even if you have different answers or expectations for these questions and topics and any other topics that are most important to you, you will be able to work through them between yourselves or professionally in therapy. You’ll thank yourselves for having these discussions after the wedding once the marriage begins!

©CTW Features