Couples often spend more time preparing for the one-day event of their wedding than they do for the actual marriage, which is a lifelong event. Michael Cavanagh asserts that simply dating and courting, even living together, do not constitute preparation for marriage. Cavanagh encourages couples to relfect on the major life-change they are making, and presents them with a way of building a solid foundation for a lifelong committment.
Michael E. Cavanagh is Professor of Psychology at Mount Olive College in North Carolina.