Pastor Denis & Marianne as they renew marriage vows on their 25th Wedding Anniversary

Dear Engaged Couple,

Congratulations! We are honored that you are considering our beautiful and historic Chapel for your wedding day. Our goal is to help you have a wonderful day. More importantly, we want to help you build a marriage that will last a lifetime!

Researchers have found that marital satisfaction and longevity are greatest for couples who purposefully prepare for marriage and follow God’s wisdom expressed in the Scriptures. At MCC, we seek to partner with you for the future success of your new family. With an MCC mentor couple, couples to be married in the Chapel complete a comprehensive marital preparation process.  This process includes several components that take about four to six months to complete. We ask that you schedule your wedding accordingly.

So what does this preparation process look like?

First, you’ll review the wedding policy and complete an application form to determine your preferred date. If the date is open, you’ll meet for an interview with one of our pastors. This is a chance for us to learn more about you and your situation. After that, you will take a pre-marital inventory created specifically for your relationship. Inventories are available for first-time marriages, blended families, and later-in-life marriages.

Next, you will be assigned to a pre-marital mentor couple. You’ll meet with your couple for six to eight 2-hour sessions. Our experience has been that this process significantly reduces divorce, because you are prepared for the expectations and challenges of marriage, and equipped with skills for communication, conflict resolution, prayer, forgiveness, and acceptance of your partner.

Once you’ve completed these sessions, you’ll meet with the pastor who will officiate at your wedding. Together, you’ll plan details and ensure a personal ceremony that reflects your unique relationship and personalities. If you are currently attending another church, we will normally direct you to your current pastor for your marriage ceremony. Our belief is that marriage and growth as a couple best takes place in spiritual community. Having your chosen spiritual leaders supervise your marriage preparation is far more important than the building you use!

If you are not currently part of a church community, we ask that you attend our church and become involved in our spiritual community during your marriage preparation. Regardless of where you are in your spiritual journey, exploring or following Jesus, this is a critical aspect of your preparation.  

Similar marriage ministries around the country report success rates exceeding 80%. Today’s divorce statistics have scared many couples and resulted in one of the greatest demographic shifts in history. Over 5 million couples live together without a marriage commitment. Unfortunately, the failure rate of these relationships is even higher. Even after marriage, these couples experience a much higher rate of divorce.

God instituted marriage as a committed relationship between one man and one woman. It is the one and only relationship in which sex was intended to be enjoyed. As a result, we ask the couples we prepare for marriage to abstain from all sexual activity until their wedding day. The Scriptures and modern, scientific  research show this is correlated with higher marriage satisfaction and longevity. We realize this is a counter-cultural choice, but we are absolutely certain it will bless your marriage.

Marianne & Denis at the reception for their 25th Wedding Anniversary

In the past eight years, using these marital preparation principles, my wife Marianne and I have enjoyed working with about 25 couples. So far, none of these marriages have resulted in divorce. Similar ministries around the country report success rates exceeding 80%. God’s wisdom really does work, and we hope that we have the opportunity to serve you as you prepare for marriage.

As you spend many hours and resources planning your wedding day, may you also invest to build a marriage that will last a lifetime!

In Christ,

Pastor Denis Beausejour