Some Things to Think about BEFORE the Engagement: A PRE-Engagement Checklist

A marriage, in the best of circumstances, requires hard work on the part of both individuals. The purpose of this checklist is to encourage a meaningful dialogue between two people who intend to get married. There are no right or wrong answers to the questions found therein. The questions are designed to encourage the couple to discuss seriously things that I have found to be important in helping make a marriage work or things which cause a marriage not to work. I suggest that the couple sit down BEFORE getting engaged and take time (maybe several days or weeks) to fill out this checklist as honestly as possible. The couple may want to use a pencil with an eraser on several sheets of paper when answering the questions here in as the course of this discussion may dictate a change or two before they declare the checklist completed. Nothing placed in writing on this checklist is locked in stone. In fact, much of it will change as time and circumstances change. However, I think it will prove entertaining for the couple to pull the checklist out in years to come and see what they intended before they got married and what actually has happened in their married life.

I hope that you will find the exercise of filling out this checklist enlightening, and I hope that after filling it out, you will still want to marry.