What Couples Are Saying

Each weekend we ask for feedback from our couples about their experience. Below are the highlights from just a few of our couples:

• "Writing and reflection time because it gave us time and space to reflect on the varied components of a God-centered marriage and allowed us to touch deeper into topics not heavily discussed."  May, 2025

• "I'm not Catholic, but my experience here was eye-opening as I saw how alike and aligned it is to my Protestant faith."  May, 2025

• "Intentional conversation about difficult topics made for an opportunity to grow and realize how much work there is to do. It feels like we've been together for a while but this process reminded me that we still have so much more to learn."  May, 2025

• "We both had an amazing time. This weekend has helped improve our communication skills on hard subjects and gave us a ways to handle those hard conversations."  November, 2024

• "All that presented were extremely prepared and it was a joy being able to hear from couple that clearly love each other and have been successful in their marriages."  November, 2024

• "I think it strengthened our relationship with God and solidified the fact that we want his presence in our marriage and lives."  November, 2024

• "Forgiveness in marriage and being able to exercise that has helped strengthen our relationship. We now have tools that we can take with us throughout our marriage."  November, 2024

• "A fantastic weekend! I thought all of the topics were focused and relevant, and presented in an inclusive manner so individuals who were not Catholic could still feel welcomed and supported."  May, 2024

• "I’m glad my fiancé & I came here this weekend to strengthen our relationship not only with each other, but with God. It helped us get closer & really focus on one another without the distractions of the outside world."  May, 2024

• "Each opportunity for sharing time helped us see the smaller differences in each other and learn how to react and understand that difference."  May, 2024

• "We had the opportunity to have conversations about important matters that we have yet to consider in our preparation for marriage. I enjoyed getting to talk about financial fidelity and planning for our future family."  May, 2024

• "Having the dedicated space to talk about specific topics helped strengthen our confidence that we are ready to get married."  May, 2024

• "This retreat was a great opportunity to learn, be reminded and discover my faith, value, and plan with my fiancé. It was great meeting other couples and learn about the instructors. Thank you, it was been a wonderful weekend."  January, 2024

• "Setting aside the explicit time to discuss things rather than waiting for them to pop up organically, if ever at all."  January, 2024

• "We’ve gained new was to communicate.  We also were able to talk about hard topics intentionally instead of out of hurt. Overall, we have a better understanding of the Sacrament too."  November, 2023

• "Amazing experience. I would definitely recommend!! I feel closer to my fiancée despite having discussed everything that we covered this weekend. It gave us dedicated isolated time to really focus on each other and our relationship." November, 2023

• "Attending this was a positive experience since (my finance) is not from the Catholic church. I believe he very much enjoyed it and feels ready now to get married in the Catholic church."  September, 2021

• "I wasn't expecting this to be very helpful since it was an online format, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was! Of course in-person would have been ideal but you guys did an amazing job and my fiancé and I both benefited greatly from this! Thank you"  September, 2021

• "It made us realize just how much God was present for our relationship. We have been together for ten years. We did not think we needed to get married but many of the lessons made us wish we had done this sooner. It has brought us closer to God."  September, 2021

• "Being from different faiths we learned a lot about each other's relationships with God."  September, 2021

• "This was an amazing weekend retreat. we were able to learn more about each other and grow in our relationship with each other and with God. We would definitely recommend this retreat for those who are going into that next phase of their relationship."  May, 2021

• "This weekend allowed us to bring up issues and concerns in a neutral and healthy way. Usually, these issues and concerns come up during an argument, which isn’t always the best time to work through a problem.  We both brought up our concerns and we were able to talk through it much easier because it was in a neutral loving setting.  This was a beneficial weekend for both of us and it exceeded my expectations."  May, 2021

• "Thank you for the amazing Engaged Encounter weekend! I truly feel closer to both my fiancé and God. All of the speakers were very informative and I am grateful for the stories they shared. I would definitely recommend this to other engaged couples!"  May, 2021

• "I think setting aside the definitive time and having prompts to talk about topics that are easily avoidable in our day to day helped us a lot."  March, 2021

• "Having discussions about faith with my fiance in a focused way and thinking through what our faith life might look like together was helpful."  March, 2021

• "Thank you! Great hearing such personal experiences from the presenters, it allowed us to be more comfortable with opening up about issues a little tougher to openly discuss."  March, 2021

• "I came into this with low expectations, but it was pleasantly surprising. Personally I enjoyed it on Zoom. I think that the virtual format made it a little bit easier to discuss difficult issues with my partner. "  Sean McMillian, November, 2020

• "I think that the opportunity to write individually and then come together and share really helped us have open and honest conversation where both of our thoughts and feelings could be heard and we could make sure that we were discussing everything that each person wanted." September, 2020

• "We got to know each other in a deep affectionate way and over came obstacles we have been avoiding."  March, 2020

• "It reminded me why I am Catholic and why I want to make the Church part of my marriage."  January, 2020

• "Having no real religious beliefs, I was skeptical about attending.  However, after participating, I appreciate the opportunity to familiarize myself with and learn more about my fiancé's traditions in religion." November, 2019

• "You guys touched on many topics that I would not have thought to bring up.  Other topics that I had been avoiding due to their uneasy nature were presented in a non-threatening way that made them easier to address."  May, 2019

• "Spending time with my fiancé without the distractions of the outside world and talking about each other's expectations, especially in the context of faith.  I think this experience brought us both closer to God."  March, 2019

• "This is a great tool for engaged couples to discuss & plan for many topics that may not normally come up in conversation.  I enjoyed the honest real-life stories from the presenters."  January, 2019

• "This was a great opportunity to strengthen our relationship. I truly believe it has helped in numerous ways. Both couples had truly inspiring and relate-able stories. I would just like to thank all involved in being generous enough in making this weekend life changing." - Chelsea Cushing, Jan 2018 Weekend

• "Having time to be away from our day to day life to enjoy each other's company. It was good for us to see that there are other young couples in our stage of life who value their religion because at times it can be isolating on the journey." -Hannah Benoman, Jan 2018 Weekend

• "Our relationship was affected most by the ability to have a truly safe and open location to bring up challenging topics with each other..." - Matthew Hamilton, Jan 2018 Weekend

• "I really enjoyed this experience, hearing all the presenters stories, love, struggles. It makes us realize we are a normal couple and gives us understanding that it won't be perfect, but it will be amazing in our own way." - Valerie Yamamoto, Jan 2018

• "This weekend was a good start to reignite my relationship with God as I haven't been a practicing Catholic over the last 10 years." - Jan 2018 Weekend

• "It was an intense weekend in a good way. The weekend was solid time to focus on topics that we should address without interruptions of life that gets in the way at home." - Jan 2018 Weekend

• "...our relationship was most affected by the ability to share thoughts and time with each other while being disconnected from the distractions of technology." - Sean Fisher, Jan 2018 Weekend

• "I was so affected by hearing the couples lives. I also found it powerful to pray before each meal, and reflecting on how we wanted God reflected in our life when we are married." - Nov 2017 Weekend

• "I really like having the time to talk...a lot of the topics we had discussed with each other before, but it was nice to really focus on each topic in detail." - Nov 2017 Weekend

• "I was able to discuss deep, meaningful and spiritual topics with my future husband and I am so glad we attended." - Sept 2017 Weekend

• "LOVED getting away from our town, technology and actually having the time to talk." - March 2015 Weekend

• "Finishing meaningful conversations that we've started. Making decisions & plans based on those discussions..." - March 2015 Weekend

• "What most affected my relationship was realizing that there were topics we avoided talking about and we feel close." - March 2015 Weekend

• "The presenters were instrumental and their willingness to open up to us and share their experiences had tremendous influence in showing and proving the discussion topics. Our marriage will truly be rewarded by the experience for a lifetime!" - May 2014 Weekend

• "I liked that we had separate rooms! Overall, this weekend has made us closer. Topics were all very interesting!" - May 2014 Weekend

• "I really appreciated the transparency the presenters gave us regarding their relationships. I was expecting far more strict, rule based, Catholic doctrine and it was enlightening to hear from couples that felt real, for no better word. Thank you for the living your faith." - May 2014 Weekend

• "I believe we have been given many tools that will help guide us to a happy, healthy, and loving sacrament of marriage." - May 2014 Weekend

• "This is the best thing we could have done to prepare for our big day. The presenters were amazing and inspiring..." - March 2014 Weekend

• "Thank you for your commitment to help our future marriage. As an outsider to the church, I had reservations the tools presented may not make sense through my belief system, however I found the entire weekend to be incredibility valuable. I will recommend to other non-Catholics freely." - March 2014 Weekend

• "This was a wonderful experience for us. I really didn't know what to expect but I was very happy with the outcome. I learned, a lot about my fiance and with your help this weekend, we were able to become closer. Thank you for sharing your personal stories and journeys with us." - March 2014 Weekend

• "This was an amazing experience. I truly feel that this weekend is essential for a successful marriage. This weekend has also brought me closer to God and allowed my faith to grow. I'm very appreciative of this weekend because I have learned what a marriage sacrament is..." - November 2013 Weekend

• "...this experience has changed our relationship to God for the better. I do feel like this is the jump start my fiancee and I needed to be closer to one another and God." - November 2013 Weekend

• "It is a great time to reflect on Marriage as unity, love of God, and just to evaluate myself to see if I'm ready for this commitment with my fiancee and God and the community. Overall its a great way to prepare for this sacrament." - November 2013 Weekend

• "...I wish they made every couple getting married if its religious or civil marriage go through this encounter weekend..." - November 2013 Weekend

• "...We didn't know what we were expecting but very glad we came. We feel closer together. This weekend brought closure to past issues, opened up communication, gave us tools to prepare for marriage and helped encourage more through discussion." - November 2013 Weekend

• "I have never experienced something so in depth with anyone and glad I was able to share it with my life-long partner. Thank you Engaged Encounter for providing this great weekend." - November 2013 Weekend

• "Thank you very much for this great experience. I am so glad our priest recommended this to us for our preparation for our union. I feel extremely blessed for being here..." - Miginio Aguton, May 2013 Weekend

• "This weekend provided so many valuable lessons for us to share and learn about together as a couple. The process involved a great deal of honest and humility and I am throughly grateful to have had the opportunity to attend. I highly recommend Engaged Encounter to couples of faith that want to prepare themselves for the sacrament of marriage." - Zion Tout, May 2013 Weekend

• "Overall, I really enjoyed our experience. The staff and facilities were wonderful. The environment was gorgeous. I really wish and hope more engaged couples will be able to participate in this program" - John Cruz, May 2013 Weekend

• "I honestly believe couples either religious or not, should experience this retreat. I believe it brought my fiance and I closer and helped solidify our relationship and why we are getting married." -Candy Martin, May 2013 Weekend

• "My fiance and I just completed EE Sunday, Jan. 6 (2013). I was extremely impressed. It is organized and designed so perfectly to help the men and women reveal themselves to each other. Everybody seemed to enjoy themselves quite a bit. And I was gratified to find that there was no shyness when it was time to talk about God. That is truly refreshing and rare these days." - Mitchell Brooks, Jan 2013 Weekend

• “My Fiancee and I decided we needed God to be a greater part of our lives and we made a plan to make it happen.”

• “I honestly did not know what to expect from EE. Going at the end of the work week - I was optimistic. I had a great time. 100% loved it. I wish it was longer & I know both myself and my fiancee will look back on this weekend with a big smile and a lot of growth!”

• “I am not Catholic, and my faith has been difficult for me, as I had poor experiences with churches in the past. It was extremely nice to see a warm, welcoming, supportive group, strong in their faith helping couples begin their life together. This weekend has helped me and has given me a new focus and hope for my relations with God.”

• “We learned to communicate compliments – even if I think he knows, I must share the positive. I also learned that he desires a stronger spiritual influence in our lives.”

• “I have a PhD in psychology – however I never have received personal support for my relationship as powerful as this.”

• “This weekend has changed everything. The reason why we are here is because of God, so we want God as our number one guest.”

• “We learned how to constructively make decisions and forgive one another. The writing/dialogue cycle is very powerful tool that we will continue to use.”

• “It has brought me closer to God. Now I’m going to get baptized and go to RCIA so I can take communion.”

• “It was an unforgettable experience for both of us. We heard about marriage in a positive way.”