Premarital counseling is an important step in preparing for marriage. Unfortunately, it is one that many people opt not to seek out, due to time, money, or feeling like it’s unnecessary (hint, every couple could use it!). However, many online premarital courses don’t cost a lot, don’t take much time, and can help set you up for success in your marriage.
Best Online Premarital Counseling Courses at a Glance
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Our Picks for Best Online Premarital Counseling Courses
- Best Overall – The Art & Science of Love Online
- Best At Your Own Pace – Happily Ever After
- Best Free Option – Prologue: Start Marriage Here
- Best Courses With Live Counseling – Growing Self
- Best Quick Option – Marriage.com
- Best for LGBTQ+ Couples – Let’s Hack the Love Code Together
Detailed Reviews of the Best Online Premarital Counseling Courses
- Price: $199
- Video Lessons? Yes
- Worksheet Lessons? Yes
Why We Chose It
The Art & Science of Love workshop is structured with 10 different modules, each including videos and exercises to be performed as a couple. This is a self-paced online training, so you can complete the modules on your own time.
Pros & Cons
- Online Gottman based couples courses
- Videos and worksheets to complete as a couple
- Self-paced course
- No live coaching or therapy sessions
- Insurance is not accepted for the courses
Cost
The Art & Science of Love Online costs $199 with an option to add on an Art & Science of Love boxed set for $79.00.
Overview
The Art & Science of Love is a couples workshop created by Drs. John and Julie Gottman that is based on over 40 years of research with thousands of couples’ involvement. The workshop has been taught as a live couples weekend workshop for years but is now available online in the comfort of your own home.
The Art & Science of Love workshop features 10 learning modules, each including videos and exercises to be performed as a couple. This is a self-paced online training, so you can complete the modules on your own time. Once you purchase the workshop, you will have an unlimited amount of time to complete it. Your purchase includes over 20 videos, over 12 exercises, and several valuable handouts that you can access immediately.
The workshop teaches:
- How to build friendship in your relationship and express feelings of respect and affection.
- How to manage conflict and communicate effectively.
- How to recognize the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” and what to do if they are attacking your marriage
- Ways to identify your relationship’s specific strengths and how to build on them together
- About the effects of physiological flooding and how it may affect conflict resolution
- How to use the Fondness and Admiration System to renew, respect, and care for one another
- How to create an Emotional Bank Account that you can draw upon in times of stress
- How to develop your problem-solving skills, including the six skills for effective conflict resolutions
This course includes:
- 8 hours of video from a recent live workshop conducted by Drs. John and Julie Gottman
- 119-page printable PDF manual with the content, assessments, interventions, and references discussed in training videos
- Four Horsemen and Their Antidotes handout
- Aftermath of a Fight: How to Repair After a Fight or a Regrettable Incident handout
- Gottman Repair Checklist handout
- Gottman Card Decks download instructions
In Our Experience
The Gottman Method is one of the most well-known and utilized techniques for couples. This course will give couples the tools they need to start their marriage strong.
- Price: $97
- Video Lessons? Yes
- Worksheet Lessons? Yes
Why We Chose It
Happily Ever After is a one-time fee course that you will then have access to for life.
Pros & Cons
- One time course fee
- Explore six core areas of a relationship
- Watch video lessons and use worksheets
- Completion certificate available
- No live coaching or therapy
- Insurance not accepted
Cost
Happily Ever After costs $97 and you will have access to the course for life.
Overview
Happily Ever After is an online premarital course that will get you and your partners talking about 6 core areas of a relationship, including money, self-discovery, conflict & repair, sex & intimacy, family of origin, and communication. It was developed by a married couple, Casey and Meygan, who know the hardships of marriage and have navigated through them together.
With this course, you and your partner will start by taking an assessment that will help identify strengths and differences in your relationship. After the assessment, you and your partner will watch a series of 20-30 minute videos that introduce a topic and demonstrate the use of healthy relationship tools. You will then use the worksheets provided to create a plan on how to use the new tool.
Additionally, you will receive some bonus material, including:
- 4 Qualities to Look for in a Partner
- Honeymoon Tips
- How to Handle Anxiety
- Parenting and Family Planning
- Managing Money
This course can help get you started on the right track, doesn’t cost much and you can go at your own pace since you have lifetime access!
In Our Experience
Happily Ever After’s premarital course is available for life after you pay the fee. This gives couples the time and opportunity to work through everything at their own pace.
- Price: Free
- Video Lessons? Yes
- Worksheet Lessons? Yes
Why We Chose It
Start Marriage Here is a completely free premarital counseling course. It would be ideal for those couples who are on tight budgets.
Pros & Cons
- Totally free to complete
- Based on the Five Love Languages
- Only five learning sessions
- Religious leaning, may not be ideal for secular learning
- Video lessons are only 5 minutes long
- Live counseling or coaching not available
Cost
Start Marriage Here is a free premarital course.
Overview
Prologue includes five sessions for you and your partner to explore at your own pace. The chapters include Family, Love, Values, Relationship, and Communication. Each session comes with an introduction that includes articles, a questionnaire that you will both take to assess your similarities and differences, and discussion questions to get you talking.
Each chapter also includes a short video from Gary Chapman, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts. If you and your partner want to go deeper with the discussion questions, you can also sign up for The Counselor’s Guide
To get started, all you have to do is sign up and you will be sent all the information needed. You and your partner can work from anywhere as long as you have access to the internet. You can even work from different parts of the country (or the world for that matter) if needed! Additionally, you have access to track one another’s progress so that you both stay on course together. If you’re looking for some help in preparing for marriage but are on a budget and need flexibility, this may be the online premarital course for you.
In Our Experience
Start Marriage here seems like a solid option for a free premarital counseling course. The course is based on the Five Love Languages and there are additional resources available on the website.
- Price: $105 – $265 per service
- Video Lessons? Yes
- Worksheet Lessons? Yes
Why We Chose It
Growing Self offers two options for premarital counseling courses that feature live couples sessions.
Pros & Cons
- Three premarital counseling course options
- Fully self-paced plan is available
- Live sessions with a couples counselor available
- Counseling may not be available in all states
- Insurance is not accepted
Cost
Growing Self costs $105 – $265, depending on which of the three plans you choose.
Growing Self plans include:
- Lifetime of Love Premarital & Relationship Class: This class includes 6 hours of online instruction and teaches 6 relationship skills. The class costs $265 per couple.
- I Do! Premarital Counseling Program: This program includes a comprehensive assessment and 3-5 private sessions with an expert premarital counselor. The cost is $105-$125/session depending upon the experience level of the counselor. Growing Self offers a sliding scale fee if needed based on income.
- Private Premarital Counseling: The private premarital counseling option offers flexible, open-ended counseling without a time limit or specific structure so you can address any issues that feel important to you and your partner. The cost is $105-$125/session depending upon the experience level of the counselor.
Growing Self offers a sliding scale fee if needed based on income.
Overview
Growing Self has three options for premarital counseling so you and your partner can meet your specific needs and budget. There is a class called Lifetime of Love, an online program called I Do!, and private counseling. Whatever option you choose, Growing Self can help you learn relationship skills, how to prevent future problems, and how to keep your love strong.
The Lifetime of Love class, which costs $265, includes work on topics such as:
- The Secrets of Strong Couples
- Healthy Communication 101
- Manage Inevitable Conflict Productively
- Keep Romance Alive
- Create Agreement with the Big Five (Money, Household Responsibilities, Religion, Kids and Sex)
- Hopes & Dreams
The I Do! program starts with an assessment of the strengths and vulnerabilities in your relationship. You will then have private sessions with a counselor to address issues and learn effective tools to keep your relationship strong.
Live sessions with the counselor address:
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Finances
- Hopes and dreams
- Lifestyle
- Sex and love
If you want premarital counseling that is less structured, you can choose the private premarital counseling option.
In Our Experience
Growing Self offers a wide range of premarital counseling courses and therapy options to couples.
- Price: $49 – $99 per plan
- Video Lessons? Yes
- Worksheet Lessons? Yes
Why We Chose It
Marriage.com’s pre-marriage courses only take about 2-3 hours on average to complete. This would be ideal for couples who want to go through a course quickly.
Pros & Cons
- Takes 2-3 hours on average to complete the course
- Two plans to select from
- Additional learning materials available
- No live counseling or therapy
- This shorter course may not cover everything couples want to explore before marriage
Cost
Marriage.com pre-marriage courses cost $49 – $99 depending on which plan you choose.
Marriage.com’s plans include:
- The Gold Plan: Costs $49 and includes all five chapters in the course and additional helpful resources. This course takes two hours to complete and is available for three months after you purchase
- The Platinum Plan: Costs $99 and includes everything in the Gold Plan as well as the following:
- Mini Course: 15 Steps to a Happier Marriage
- Bonus eBook: Marriage Guide (38 Pages)
- Activity Worksheet: 21 Questions to Get Ready for Marriage
- Communication Starters Kit
- 30-Day Marriage Calendar
- Recommended Books
- Motivational Videos
- This plan takes three hours to complete and is available for six months
Overview
Marriage.com offers a pre-marriage course that is designed for couples that are engaged and want to be better prepared for marriage. Although it is meant to be taken by couples, an individual can take it and benefit as well if your partner is unable or unwilling to take it. The pre-marriage course can help you transition smoothly into a happy marriage by bringing more clarity into what makes a marriage healthy.
The pre-marriage course includes a total of five chapters that cover the following topics:
- What Makes A Marriage Healthy?
- Managing Expectations
- Setting Shared Goals
- Great Communication
- Moving from ‘Me’ to ‘We’
This course takes about 2-3 hours on average to complete but can also be completed on your own time. As soon as you register, you will receive a link that will give you access to the materials for you to move through at your own leisure.
In Our Experience
Marriage.com’s pre-marriage course is ideal for couples who want a detailed course that does not take weeks to complete.
- Price: $49.97 Once
- Video Lessons? Yes
- Worksheet Lessons? Yes
Why We Chose It
Let’s Hack the Love Code Together is one of the few premarital courses that has courses specifically designed for the LGBTQ+ community.
Pros & Cons
- Lifetime access to the courses once paid in full
- Designed for LGBTQ+ community
- Not to be used in place of couples therapy
- Couples therapy only available in Florida
Cost
Let’s Hack the Love Code costs $49.97 and gives you lifetime access.
Overview
Let’s Hack the Love Code Together is a course created by Dr. Liliana Wolf specifically for LGBT couples. Her course is an LGBT-affirmative implementation program where you will learn:
- How to avoid entering the destructive cycle that most married couples tend to engage in
- How to curb impulsive reactions that end up causing pain and distance
- How to de-escalate conflict
- How to repair rifts
- How to build emotional safety
- How a deep emotional connection creates the framework for great sex, and how great sex, in turn, facilitates a deeper emotional connection.
Let’s Hack the Love Code Together contains 13 modules that include the following topics:
- The Science of Love
- The Threat of Disconnection
- Understanding Your Reactive Style: Your Triggers
- What It Takes to Remain Connected: Three Elements to Relationship Satisfaction
- How to Maintain Emotional Safety
- How to Go Beyond the Basic Skills to Resolve Conflicts
- Your Values, Your Essence
- Money and Love? Do They Mix?
- The Science of Sex
- Conflict Management
- To Live Happily Forever After
- See If You Are Ready For A Baby or Not
- My Family, Your Family, Our Family
In Our Experience
Let’s Hack the Love Code aims to help LGBTQ+ couples communicate better and provide the foundations for a strong marriage.
Compare the Best Online Premarital Counseling Courses
The Art & Science of Love | Happily Ever After | Prologue: Start Marriage Here | Growing Self | Marriage.com | The Art & Science of Love Online | |
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Costs | $199 | $99 | Free | $105 - $265 per service | $49 - $99 per plan | $49.97 |
Video Lessons | | | | | | |
Worksheet Lessons | | | | | | |
Live Coaching | | | | | | |
Certificate of Completion | | | | | | |
Bonus Materials | | | | | | |
Religious Based | | | | | | |
The Art & Science of Love | Happily Ever After | Prologue: Start Marriage Here | Growing Self | Marriage.com | The Art & Science of Love Online |
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Costs | |||||
$199 | $99 | Free | $105 - $265 per service | $49 - $99 per plan | $49.97 |
Video Lessons | |||||
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Worksheet Lessons | |||||
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Live Coaching | |||||
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Certificate of Completion | |||||
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Bonus Materials | |||||
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Religious Based | |||||
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Final Verdict
Finding the best premarital counseling course for you and your partner should not be an added stressor prior to your big day. By carefully reading our in-depth list, you and your partner will surely find something to fit your budget, time frame, and daily life.
For Further Reading
- Lasting App – A self-guided couples counseling tool to use alongside marriage & couples counseling
- Best Books for a Healthy Marriage
- Best Books About Self Improvement
- Podcasts all about couples counseling and relationships