Sean Peters and Jessica Jacoboski would seem to have the perfect relationship — Sean’s best friend even captured their engagement in photographs.
The couple met at Liberty University, where they both worked, after Sean had seen his future bride in a fashion show. He was smitten. But it took three years to actually begin dating.
Soon they were serious. They talked a lot about marriage, but the timetable really ramped up when Jessica began pursuing a job opportunity at Samaritan’s Purse in Boone, NC. After their engagement in March, they knew they wanted to begin premarital counseling as soon as possible — before Jessica moved out of town.
“We were always very aware of the need to put God at the center of our relationship,” Sean said. So they began to look at doing the counseling through Blue Ridge, which had just begun a new premarital program.
The couple started meeting with marriage mentors Paul and Charla Parks, and the two couples just clicked. “It was nice that they had similar challenges and personalities and we could see how they worked through those situations,” Jessica said.
Sean and Jessica soon realized they had work to do. Many of their conflicts centered on communication, but with what they were learning in premarital counseling, they began to see immediate changes.
“It’s really helped. It’s not an attack on the other person. It’s sharing how you feel,” Jessica said.
Now, Sean and Jessica say they are ready for a picture-perfect wedding in October — and feel they have the tools to build a strong marriage.
“What separates premarital counseling at Blue Ridge is that the mentors feel a calling,” Sean said. “They truly feel this is where God wants them to be. That was evident in how Paul and Charla made us feel.”
If you are engaged or thinking about becoming engaged, premarital counseling is your next step.