DC Engaged Encounters

As you all know the boy and I are getting married this summer and I have spent the past year majorly procrastinating for the big event. I have finally started getting all of my ducks in a row and checking off the DC Catholic Engaged Encounter Weekend was next on my list.
Initial Expectations: As a Catholic who attends mass every month or so and has been living in sin for the last three years I really had no idea what to expect. Reviewers in San Francisco gave this weekend rave reviews but posters on the wedding boards did not. I walked in to find out the presenters were an older couple, a couple in their thirties, and a priest. We all had to introduce each other and tell each other what we most like about our partner. *GROAN* First of all everybody seemed like they were a couple out of «Leave it to Beaver» and just seemed super cuddly, coupley, and all of the things I am not. It took all of my willpower to not laugh while everybody was introducing themselves.
The Format: The format of the weekend usually began with a lesson and past reflection from a presenting couple, time to write down our answers separately to posed questions in our notebook, and then about 15 — 20 minutes to discuss our answers with our partner privately. The presenting couples read straight from their notes the whole time which I found to be odd and unauthentic (they said they did this so they did not go off topic and stayed within the allotted time frame) but there were several times where their stories were raw, real, and heart felt. It was nice to see a gentle knee squeeze or tears falls when they were talking about something emotional. In fact, I was happy to see that they did not portray marriage to be a happy, shiny thing. Let’s just say… S%^%^#$ got REAL! And I appreciated it very much.
The Living Conditions: Dormitory style living with one other person of the same sex. You have your own bedroom and share a kitchen and living room space. The bed was very comfortable and place was surprisingly nice. Food was provided throughout the weekend and was the standard egg beater and bacon hot breakfast, sad looking sandwiches and UTZ chips for lunch, and a pretty bomb cheesy vegetarian lasagna and garlic bread for dinner.
The Awkward: You will hear old people talk about sex. The words «KY jelly» even came up in conversation. It was hard not to cringe. They will mention National Family Planning but they will not push their beliefs down your throat. They merely mention it and ask that you look more into it in the future. Big sigh of relief.
Overall: I was very impressed with how the presenters approached each topic from their own perspective. Their teachings were easily relatable and while they were faith based they were not pushy at all. Many of the attendees were atheist or members of different religions so they did not make it weird at all. Although the weekend was LONG, I am so glad that I took the extra step to really invest in my relationship and take extra care to prepare for a lifelong commitment. The weekend showed me that it was okay not to be perfect and that as long as you communicate you can work through things together.