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Testimonials from our Couples

"The best pre-marriage course for us"

Dear Angela and Fr Pat,
We attended your pre-marriage course a few weeks ago and we both found it to be so enjoyable and informative. We felt it was the very best pre-marriage course for us and we just wanted to say thank you. Getting married in three months time - and we really benefited from the messages shared throughout the day. Thanks to you and your team for reminding us about the importance and meaning of our marriage.

Brian and Deirdre

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We did one in Dublin - think it was Together.ie - and we found it really first class. To be honest we had a civil ceremony so didn't have to do the course but we did anyway and it raised some interesting things for us to look at and talk about. We were in a large group so there was no pressure to have to answer questions etc. There was some god stuff and my husband is atheist so that was a bit awkward for him as they do have religious input but I would definitely recommed doing one.

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Hi Angela,

Just a note to say a BIG thankyou for a great day on Saturday last in The Maldron, Tallaght. Myself and Robbie thoroughly enjoyed the pre marriage course and found it very beneficial. All speakers were great and the day itself was just lovely.

Many thanks again,
Ursula and Robbie

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Hi there,

We found the day excellent - the course was very well put together and honestly, quite enjoyable even.... we found it much better than expected - well worth doing. We will recommend it to others ... We really enjoyed the married couple Mary and Tom, who showed that if you really want it you will keep up your marriage.... They are a credit to all married couples out there.
Patricia & John

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Hi, Pat and Angela,
Just a few quick lines to thank you and your team for a very interesting day last month. Oscar and I definitely have plenty of material for thought ( even after two children and 16 years together!). The message about 'know who are marrying' in terms of family-background, only-child versus one-of-many children really opened my eyes again. We thought the couple at the end were excellent in grounding everyone as to the commitment you are making for better and worse. It was a well-structured and very informative day -so thank you to all of the team.
Jacqueline

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Dear Angela,
Just two lines to thank you for the quality day spent together last Sunday, the 23rd. We found the course very useful and also enjoyed it a lot. A big thank and greetings to you, Father Pat, Brian, and the lovely couple that talked at the end of the day. We went back home full of enthusiasm and with a treasure of positive learnings. We're going to review soon the website's tips in deeper detail, so to gather further suggestions, especially for the ceremony preps.
All the best,
Giuliana and Alessio

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Angela and Father Pat, and team,
Joe and I were on your course last Saturday, and we were really delighted with the whole experience. The atmosphere was so friendly and non-bossy, whereas we had expected it to be more like school, just handing out knowledge on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. All the speakers were great, but we enjoyed the couple's talk at the end most of all. It was so honest and down to earth, and it's clear they are still mad about each other. Thanks for an excellent and most worthwhile course. We will be recommending it to our friends.
Pauline K.

Dear Team,
I enjoyed the course when we did it. I know a lot of people give out about them, but I thought it would be helpful. It was very relaxed, there is a priest involved in presenting one of the sections, but is not overly focused on Religion which can bother some people. It was mostly about discussing different aspects of marriage, communication within the relationship and seeking help if you need it. They said we shouldn't learn anything new on the course, but it is more for reflection on your relationship & your expectations of marriage.

Wifeen (from weddings-online. )
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Hi Father Pat,
The course was very good, much better than we had expected. We found it a very worthwhile experience and would recommend it to others.
Denis & Joan

Hello to the Team,
We Enjoyed Angela's talk in particular; she is clearly a very nice woman and doesn't talk rubbish and I also found the other speakers great as well... The presenters where all top-class and the contents all relevant and interesting. The couple at the end did an excellent job and we commend them for standing up in front of everyone and telling their story.
Paul and Sandra

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Hi guys,
Thanks for the day. Personally we found the the course to be a highly relevant and valuable preparation for my marriage.  We found the input to be clear and engaging.  The guest speaker couple had some very important messages to convey, and did so in a very interesting manner.
Suzanne and John Lalor

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Hi, Together Team,
Just a quick note to say how fantastic myself and Damien found the course last Saturday. We thoroughly enjoyed the entire day so thanks very much to you all. We will be sure to fill out the full assessment online, later on.
Thanks a million!
Lorraine

On the Individual Sessions

Session 1 (Communication): The speaker had good content on a very important topic in marriage... nice to know that there is always someone there to talk to if you hit the hard road ... It is clear how communication affects everything else! The importance of REALLY listening, knowing your arguing style can help you limit disagreements by focusing on the issue not just on how things are said etc.... Use a few less powerpoint slides, please! Talk to us, but not as a lecturer.

Session 2 (Intimacy & family planning): The speaker, Angela, was great! She is very nice, and knowledgable in the area... I felt that the piece on sexuality and famliy planning was very well delivered, frank and to the point and didnt feel embarassing at all. I liked the info about smears, breast check and men checking themselves this is something people need info on and are still shy about... Perhaps even more practical suggestions on how to handle family planning problems may be useful...

Session 3 (Marriage in Law and Church): This session was excellent: very informative and humorously delivered, with good, clear suggestions for the church ceremony... Marriage in law and the church brought up points we hadn't really thought about before.... The info about arranging the Mass, and what to organise with the priest was really helpful. The registrar/ documentation info was also very good as some priests are not helpful with this... Maybe a one-page handout from him, on the requirements of church and state, would have been helpful... But the big manila envelope, with the sticker listing the required documents, is a really good idea.

Session 4 (One Couple's Experience): Excellent and very touching session. The couple are extremely brave and an inspiration... They had some amazing stories and great to see how they were able to get through some of their problems... They were lovely, brave, ordinary people, we could all learn something from them!... Having the young couple come in to talk to a room full of strangers was extremely helpful - they didn't sugar coat anything and their honesty was inspiring. For us it left a real impression and brought tears to our eyes. It really brought home the changes that will take place and the committment and work involved to make a marriage a success.

We regularly receive testimonials along those lines, but you get the general drift..... Our course has been very fortunate in the quality of its presenters, who manage to combine gritty realism with a sense of humour; plus willingness to listen to what our engaged couple want us to hear!