Marriage Services

Weddings - Your wedding is one of the most significant days of your life. Most of you will spend months, even years planning for this big day. You deserve a ceremony that is personal and distinctive.  As former Associate Dean of Duke Chapel, I have wide experience presiding at elegant and majestic weddings for hundreds of guests. I am experienced working with wedding directors, musicians, photographers, videographers, florists, demanding mothers and nervous brides.  Let me assist you in pulling together the many facets involved in creating a wonderful wedding.

I have also presided over many beautiful weddings in informal settings -- both in North Carolina and beyond. I can help you think through the details that are particular to the setting  (rain back-up plans, whether or not a sound system is needed, whether some guests will need seating, appropriate music, etc.). I can help you plan a wedding that is intimate, meaningful and memorable.

Pre-Marital Counseling - The hard work of marriage begins when the guests go home. In the U.S., nearly 50% of marriages end in divorce. No one plans for divorce. Yet many people are unprepared for marriage and lack the tools they need to resolve problems when they arise. In pre-marital counseling we talk openly about what you, as partners expect in the marriage and potential issues you may face. I help you develop communication skills, so that when problems arise, you are better equipped to work them out. Studies show that those who receive good pre-marital counseling are 30% less likely to divorce. Through premarital counseling, I can help you stock your toolbox before your marriage begins.

Marriage Enrichment - Once you are married, the need for skills to improve your marriage often becomes clear. It doesn’t mean that you don’t have a good marriage. It doesn’t mean that you can’t have a great marriage. In fact, a sign of wisdom is knowing when to seek outside help for your marriage. Through marriage enrichment, you will work on communication and conflict resolution skills to strengthen your marriage. I can help you learn to turn toward each other and use your struggles to become closer and more committed to the marriage. (I am a certified facilitator in the Prepare/Enrich Marriage Program).

Renewal of Vows -  It takes a lot of work to make a good marriage. The marriage you begin with is never the marriage you end up with. Life changes. People change. Children are born. Children leave. Children come back. You have successes. You have failures. You grow apart. You grow closer. Marriage that endures and thrives is one of life’s greatest blessings. If you have a marriage that you want to celebrate and strengthen, consider renewing your vows. It is an opportunity to do a health check-up on what is going well and what needs work. A Renewal of Vows is a meaningful ceremony to re-commit to your marriage and to promise to love and care for one another through all of life’s changes.

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