Getting married is a big deal. The wedding is wonderful, but when the honeymoon ends and you come home to begin real life as lawfully-wedded spouses, you start to realize what committing your lives to one another really means. There will be amazing highs and difficult lows, but learning to work through each step together and grow with each season of life that passes is what creates a marriage that lasts.
Here at A Short Engagement we highly recommend investing in pre-marital counseling during your engagement. You can read more about that here, and we have rounded up a few books worth reading to help you prepare as well. Taking time to prepare for your marriage before it starts will help ease many of the struggles that most couples face early on!
The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Communication is vital in marriage, and this book will help you communicate love and affection to your spouse in a way that they understand. The 5 Love Languages shares simple truths, practical action steps, and words of wisdom to help you build a great foundation for your marriage.
This Momentary Marriage by John Piper
This Momentary Marriage gives a deep look into God’s purpose and design for marriage. Marriage is more than just a partnership. It is also intended for more than just happiness, and has major gospel implications as well. This book is a great read for focusing your heart and mind on the eternal impact of your marriage.
The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller
Another great option for looking at marriage through the lens of God’s design and desires is The Meaning of Marriage. This book is very in-depth and gives practical insight on how we can challenge the cultural view of marriage in light of God’s glorious and mysterious design. This is a wonderful read for anyone regardless of their relationship status!
Smart Couples Finish Rich by David Bach
Having the "money talk" does not sound exactly like a super fun date night during your engagement, but the sooner you make it happen, the better! Finances are a major stress point in most marriages, but they don’t have to be. Smart Couples Finish Rich is a great tool for getting on the same page with your money and learning practical steps for long term financial success. It is full of proven advice, practical steps to take, and helpful tools that will alleviate the stress from money conversations in your marriage.
101 Questions to Ask Before You Get Engaged by H. Norman Wright
There are countless lists of conversation topics for dating topics available online, but this book is unique in that is asks tough questions that get to the heart of issues that may arise down the road, rather than just paving the way for fun discussions. 101 Questions to Ask Before You Get Engaged is a great book to work through a few questions at a time to foster meaningful discussion ahead of your wedding day. I would suggest doing this before you begin pre-marital counseling and making notes of any topics or issues that you need a bit of extra insight working through. This book is a great tool for developing open and honest communication habits that will be an incredible benefit to your marriage down the road.
Wedding prep is exciting, but preparing for your marriage is far more valuable! Invest your time and money in resources that will help you to create a strong foundation for a lifelong marriage that is joy-filled and focused on the things that truly matter.
Do you have any books you would recommend? We would love to hear! Leave a comment below with your favorite pre-wedding picks.
