Pre marriage counselling
Pre Marriage Counselling to Set Your Marriage Up to Last
I help engaged couples have the conversations worth having before the wedding, so you walk into marriage as a team with a shared plan. Practical, future-focused premarital coaching, in person at my Stockport practice or online UK-wide.
5.0 ★
45+ verified reviews on Bark and Google
20+ years
Skills, qualifications and experience
In person & online
My Stockport practice, or via Zoom UK-wide
Not because anything is wrong
You do not need a problem to do pre marriage counselling
Most people only think about getting help with their relationship once things have started to go wrong. Pre marriage counselling is the opposite. It is for couples who are happy, excited and serious about each other, and who simply want to start married life on the strongest possible footing.
Think of it the way you would think about anything else worth doing well. You prepare. You plan the wedding for months. Premarital coaching is about giving the marriage itself the same care, before the confetti settles and real life takes over.
I am a dad, a husband and the author of Mindset Dad, and I can tell you from experience that marriage brings transitions you cannot fully see coming. Money decisions, in-laws, careers, children, the slow drift of busy years. The couples who handle those well are usually not the lucky ones. They are the ones who talked about it first.
So this is proactive, positive and future-focused. Not a sign anything is broken. A sign you take your future together seriously. If you are weighing up the kind of help you need before you commit, I have written an honest guide to coaching versus counselling that should make the choice clearer.
The big topics, before the big day
The conversations worth having before the wedding
Most couples assume they have already talked about the important things. In practice, you have probably talked about the wedding far more than the marriage. Pre marriage counselling gives you a calm, guided space to go a layer deeper on the topics that quietly shape every long relationship.
Here are the conversations I help couples have well before they say I do.
Communication styles
Communication styles
How you each handle a difficult moment, who goes quiet and who wants to talk it out, and how to keep small frustrations from turning into the same recurring argument.
Money and finances
Spenders and savers, joint or separate accounts, debt, what you each grew up believing about money, and how you will make big financial decisions together.
Family and in-laws
Boundaries with both families, how much time you spend with them, whose traditions you keep, and how you back each other up when family gets complicated.
Expectations and roles
The unspoken assumptions each of you carries about what a husband or wife does, who handles what at home, and what a good marriage actually looks like day to day.
Intimacy and connection
Keeping affection and closeness alive once the wedding is behind you and life gets busy, and being able to talk openly about what you each need.
Children and the future
Whether you both want children, how you would parent, careers and where you want to live, and the shared picture of the life you are building.
Handling conflict well
Every couple disagrees. The strong ones simply repair faster. I give you practical tools for staying calm, listening properly and coming back together after a rough patch.
None of these need to be heavy. Done early, with a guide in the room, they are some of the most reassuring conversations a couple can have. Many of the same skills sit at the heart of my marriage counselling work too, so you are learning tools that serve you for the long haul.
How it works
A short, tailored set of sessions before the big day
Pre marriage counselling with me is not an open-ended commitment. It is a focused piece of work, built around the two of you and the time you have before the wedding.
It starts with a free discovery call. We talk through where you both are, what feels important to you as a couple, and what you would love to feel walking down the aisle. No pitch, no obligation.
From there I build a tailored set of sessions around your situation. Some couples want the fuller programme that covers every topic above in depth. Others want a shorter, sharper pre-marriage focus on the few areas that matter most to them. We work in person at my Stockport practice or online over Zoom, with a private library of exercises and videos in a shared Google Drive, plus messaging support between sessions.
The point is to hand you tools you keep for the marriage, not just for the wedding. You leave with a shared language, a clear picture of how you each work, and a way to handle the conversations that will come up for years. This is the same forward-looking approach I bring to relationship counselling across Greater Manchester and the UK.
Who it is for
Who pre marriage counselling is for
This is for couples who want to begin married life with eyes open and as a genuine team. In particular:
Engaged couples. You have the ring and the date, and you want the months before the wedding to be about more than seating plans and flowers.
Couples planning to marry. You are serious about each other and thinking ahead, even if the date is not set yet. Earlier is often better, before the wedding planning takes over.
Couples of any faith, or none. You are welcome here whatever your background and beliefs. This is secular, inclusive work focused on the two of you, your values and your future together. If your preparation is rooted in your faith, that is something we can simply make room for.
Couples who want it to last. Whether this is a first marriage or a second chapter, you want to put the work in up front rather than hope for the best.
I see couples in person at my Stockport practice in Greater Manchester, easy to reach from south Manchester, Cheadle, Bramhall and Cheshire, and online over Zoom right across the UK for couples who would rather not travel or live further out. The tools and the structure are exactly the same either way.
Communication that does not spiral
A shared language and a few reliable tools so a tricky conversation stays a conversation, instead of tipping into the same row within minutes.
Reconnection and intimacy
The closeness, affection and physical side of things finding their way back, so the relationship feels like more than logistics again.
Rebuilding trust
For couples recovering after an affair or a breach of trust, a steady, honest way to work out whether and how the foundation can be rebuilt.
Feeling like a team again
Getting back on the same side, pulling in the same direction, with a shared sense of where the next few years are actually heading.
Cost and getting started
What it costs and how to begin
Everything starts with a free discovery call. It is a relaxed, 45 minute conversation where we get to know each other, talk through what you want from your marriage, and decide together whether working with me is the right fit. There is no pressure and no pitch.
My full bespoke programme is around £1,000, with an optional fortnightly payment plan so the investment is easy to manage. For couples who want a shorter pre-marriage focus rather than the full package, we can tailor a smaller piece of work around the topics that matter most to you. We sort all of that out on the call, so you always know exactly what you are getting before you commit.
It is a small investment in something you are planning to keep for the rest of your lives. Most couples tell me they only wish they had done it sooner.
Rebooting Relationships In Person Sessions
Flynn House, Woodford Road, Bramhall, Stockport, Cheshire, SK7 1PA
Easy to reach from south Manchester, Cheadle, Bramhall and Cheshire. Prefer not to travel, or live further out? I work online over Zoom with people right across the UK.
Registered address Office (Admin Only)
5 Trentham Ave, Heaton Moor, Stockport SK4 3QD
Easy to reach from south Manchester, Cheadle, Bramhall and Cheshire. Prefer not to travel, or live further out? I work online over Zoom with people right across the UK.
Before the big day
Get a feel for me before you book
Watch a short message about how I work, so you and your partner have a feel for me before you book a call. Couples often say this is the part that put them at ease and made the first session easy.
What engaged couples say about working with me
★★★★★
“We learnt and grew so much in such little time. Steve showed us we are not alone in how we feel and provided us with a variety of information and methods. We finished the course having a clear plan for our future, and with loads of new resources that we can, and will, continue to use.”
Fett, Google
★★★★★
“Stephen had a huge impact on improving my relationship. I learnt lots about my partner, and they me, and we have some great tools to refer to as and when we need them. We finished our sessions feeling super positive about our future together.”
Andrew, Google
★★★★★
“Steve was great at holding space for both my husband and I to talk through where we each wanted our relationship to get to. He brought in great techniques and tools that we were able to take away and continue practicing. We would highly recommend Steve to any couple wanting to find deeper connection.”
Morgan, Google
Common questions about pre marriage counselling
If yours is not here, the discovery call is the right place to ask.
What is pre marriage counselling?
Pre marriage counselling, sometimes called premarital counselling, is guided preparation for couples who are getting married. It gives you a calm, structured space to talk through the topics that shape a marriage, build your communication skills and start married life as a team. It is proactive, not a sign anything is wrong.
What does pre marriage counselling cover?
We cover the conversations worth having before the wedding. Communication styles, money and finances, family and in-laws, expectations and roles, intimacy, children and the future, and how to handle conflict well. The exact focus is tailored to you, so we spend the most time on whatever matters most to the two of you.
When should we do pre marriage counselling?
Earlier is usually better. A good window is a few months before the wedding, when you have time to absorb the work without the final planning rush. That said, any point during the engagement is fine, and some couples start even before they have set a date.
Do we need it if we are already happy?
Happy couples are exactly who this is for. You do not do it because something is wrong, you do it to stay strong. Think of it as setting your marriage up well from the start, while things are good, so you both have the tools ready when life gets busy.
Is pre marriage counselling religious?
Not with me. My work is secular and inclusive, and couples of any faith or none are welcome. The focus is on the two of you, your values and your future. If your preparation is also tied to your faith, that is something we can comfortably make room for.
How much does pre marriage counselling cost?
It begins with a free discovery call. My full bespoke programme is around £1,000, with an optional fortnightly payment plan, and for couples who want a shorter pre-marriage focus we can tailor a smaller piece of work. We agree the right shape and cost together on the call, so there are no surprises.
Worth a read before the big day
Choose the closest fit to what you actually need.
Marriage Counselling
Practical marriage counselling for couples who need tools, not just talk. A structured programme, in person near Stockport or online.
Couples Therapy
Specialist couples therapy for long-term partners stuck in the same argument. Solution-focused, science-based, in person or online.
Coaching vs Counselling
The honest difference between coaching, counselling and therapy. Work out the right kind of help before you spend money.
Start your marriage on the strongest footing
The discovery call is a free, 45 minute conversation. No pitch, no obligation. We work out together whether pre marriage counselling with me is the right next step for you and your partner.
~ Steve