Before We Say I Do

Before We Say I Do: A Workbook for Bringing Two Expectations Into One Marriage

Two people fall in love, plan a wedding, and look forward to building a life together. But each brings something into marriage that may never have been discussed: a lifetime of expectations about how everyday life should work.

Who prepares breakfast? Who manages the money? Who remembers family birthdays? Who handles household repairs? How will faith, children, family relationships, and intimacy shape their marriage?

The answers often seem obvious-until a couple discovers that what was normal in one family was entirely different in the other.

Before We Say I Do helps engaged couples discover those differences before they become sources of misunderstanding or conflict.

Through 14 practical chapters, this Christian premarital workbook explores faith, household responsibilities, finances, communication, intimacy, and the often-overlooked mental work of managing a home.

Its distinctive approach encourages each partner to complete separate HIS and HER questionnaires, compare their expectations side by side, and record their decisions in shared Working Agreements.

Rather than prescribing who should do what, the workbook helps couples listen, understand, negotiate, and build arrangements that work for their own marriage.

Designed for engaged couples, ministers, marriage mentors, and premarital counselors, this workbook provides a structured, Scripture-informed starting point for conversations that might otherwise never happen.

A successful marriage requires more than finding the right person. It requires learning how to build a life together.