Engagement Retreat?

Kaye Smith · February 2010

Anyone recently go on the engagement retreat instead of doing pre-cana? We are going this weekend and i'm curious to see what people thought....and also if you have any tips or funny stories, let us know!

amarch · February 2010

We did the Engaged Encounter weekend option for Pre-cana (I think that's what you mean) and I can't say enough good things about it. We went into it thinking that we wouldn't be there if it wasn't required, but we might as well try to make the most of it. And it was way better than expected. We already talk a lot, so we didn't learn anything really new about each other....but I can't say how nice it was to get away for a weekend and just focus on us and our marriage.

We had 2 couples presenting at ours. One of them would give a presentation on a topic (ex. foregiveness), then we would answer questions individually in a notebook they gave us, then we would discuss our answers with our fiances. It doesn't sound like much, but they did a great job of making the whole weekend meaningful. Also, no one looks at your notebooks, or listens to your discussions, so you can really put as much/as little into it as you want.

HBHoneymooners · February 2010

Ours was the same as amarch described and it was awesome. Even after living together for 4 years, FI and I discovered some important new things about ourselves.

Theresa626 · February 2010

So honeymooners, I was looking at your planning bio and I have a couple questions for you. First of all, you have good taste because we picked the same bridesmaids dress and I'm trying to make invitations that have a very similar look to yours, just a different color.

Here's my question: I'm doing a graphic that is super similar to yours and goes to the edge like that. How did you get it to print to the edge well? I'm having difficulties with this. What sizes of paper did you use and did you have to design the pdf larger than the paper to get it to print well? What size did you have to design it at if so?? What kind of spray adhesive did you use? Can you recommend a brand? How much did it cost for the print shop to print everything?

Do you have the design for your escort cards? Because I really like it and if you had the template and didn't mind, I'd love to borrow it or at least the graphic.

wifeandmommy0609 · February 2010

We will be going to a engagment retreat on May 21-23rd. We both are excited for it!

[Deleted User] · February 2010

My FI and I just did the Engaged Encounter weekend about 2 weeks ago. It was very helpful and eye opening, although we both feel that we had already discussed many of the things they talk about that can lead to problems/issues in marriages. It was really expensive (or at least we thought) considering we only had twin beds and had the food was like high school cafeteria food. We were required to do it by our Priest in order for him to preside over the ceremony. If I had the opportunity, I would just do the Pre-cana/face to face chats with the Priest, but I guess that is just my opinion of the situation. If you want more info, they have a website b/c it is a national organization through the Catholic Church: engagedencounter.com. From there you can choose your state/city and find a date and time that works for you. We were able to register online, but I don't know if that was just the particular branch we registered with that had that option. Good Luck!

mauriciotinio · February 2010

My FI and I did engaged encounter in Jacksonville, FL but are having our wedding in Orlando, FL ... I did the research to see what requirements were since Orlando was in a different diocese ... We thought we'd be able to get away with the one all-day-Saturday pre-cana instead of the entire weekend retreat (we're both super busy AND the difference in cost is significant). Orlando required EE so we went ahead and did it.

In the end, the experience was better than what we had expected and so far, it has been one of the most worthwhile investments in our marriage that we've made.

I blogged about our EE experience: http://www.ryanlovesmarj.com/search/label/engaged%20encounter

Hope it helps!

Best of luck and hope yours is a meaningful experience!

Kaye Smith · February 2010

I survived the engagement encounter. Ours was led by a married woman, who was extremely helpful and down to earth. The other couples at the retreat were great as well. I'm glad we went - and it was definitely not as scary as i thought it would be!

amarch · February 2010

Awesome:) Thanks for letting everyone know how it turned out!

Engagement Retreat?

Re: Engagement Retreat?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards