The Marriage Prep 101 seminar was so enjoyable and successful for us as a couple.

Right from the start, Drs Michelle and Patrick Gannon completely grabbed our attention, and kept it throughout the weekend. The information and tools shared are proven and essential for a happy and lasting marriage. Which is what Joe and I are striving for in our marriage.

Learning different communication styles, creating conflict resolutions, clarifying expectations and exploring our strengths and weaknesses… Read more

Honestly, I would place this class as being the most important wedding expense we’ve spent money on, even above the marriage certificate.  I mean, really, what good would it do to get married if you don’t prepare for it?

Some context!  My fiance and I have a really happy, solid relationship, but I wouldn’t say that our relationship has been really challenged yet (perhaps related to the fact that we do not yet live together)…. Read more

The Marriage Prep 101 workshop is, by far, the best thing Zach and I have done for our relationship.  It was a very comfortable, safe space where Zach and I got the opportunity to work out some of our challenges while developing healthier communication and conflict resolution skills.  It was comforting to see that everyone else has their challenges just like us but that there are skills you can develop to resolve them and… Read more

Marriage Prep 101 was exactly what we needed for where we are in our journey. We have a great relationship, wedding planning is going pretty well, and we are decent communicators. What we really needed was an impetus for us to create a space to have conversations about what happens AFTER the wedding — the marriage! Lately so much of our time together is what’s next on the To-Do list and we needed to… Read more

Deciding to attend Marriage Prep 101 was one of the best decisions we have made together in our relationship. Along with happiness and excitement that accompanies being engaged, some feelings of apprehension and anxiety emerged.

The exercises that we did in the workshop reminded us of the strengths we have in our relationship that make us a great match. In addition, focusing on our “challenge areas” brought a sense of comfort that we will be… Read more

Marriage Prep 101 is a well-structured and well-delivered relationship-building seminar.  We were both very impressed with the Gannons – their ease of speaking, relating to couples and conveying important messages. We learned several techniques for conflict resolution and expectation-setting which have already been put into effect in our daily lives. Before we act or say anything now to each other, we’re reminded of what we discussed in MP 101, and this leads us to better interactions. As an… Read more

Hilarious, insightful, fascinating, and powerful are just a few words that come to mind after attending the Marriage Prep 101 course. My fiancé and I are truly perfect for one another, but our communication was slightly less than perfect. Attending the Dr. and Dr. Gannons’ workshop helped us gain practical tools for strengthening our communication skills, deepening our bond, and was just plain fun! How is this workshop not required for everyone before making… Read more

Dave and I have been together for almost four years. We are engaged to be married in September. We feel pretty good about the strength of our relationship and communication skills. However, we’re both children of divorce and the closer we get to our wedding, the higher my anxiety about divorce goes.

We already knew we shared common values, backgrounds and ideas about what our married life will be like (how to handle finances, how… Read more

Marriage Prep 101 was an amazing experience and a highly recommended must-do for anyone interested in having a truly successful relationship; whether you are getting ready for marriage (as we are), already married, or seriously dating – there is definitely something that you can learn from this workshop.

Michelle and Patrick lead a class that is loaded with relevant and useful information, resources, and tools that help you to better understand yourself and your contribution… Read more

After a year of seriously dating, my boyfriend and I took Marriage Prep 101. We were at the point where we knew we wanted to make the commitment to marry, but were hesitant because we had yet to work through some fundamental issues. Although we had been going to premarital counseling for three months, it wasn’t until we took the Marriage Prep 101 workshop that we finally saw the bigger picture and made real… Read more

My fiancé and I attended the Marriage Prep 101 workshop two months before our wedding. The workshop was held at the Fort Mason Center, which had absolutely beautiful views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island.

The week prior to our workshop my fiancé and I took the RELATE test online. That in and of itself was an eye opener! We were able to see that we view our relationship and ourselves pretty closely,… Read more

My fiance and I attended the Marriage Prep 101 workshop last weekend. It took place at the Fort Mason Center right near the water on a beautiful weekend. The class was 3 hrs on Friday & 7 hrs on Saturday (with a 1 hour lunch). We absolutely loved the class . It was awesome that the class was taught by a very fun married couple (Dr Michelle & Patrick Gannon). They gave many examples… Read more

We really got a lot out of the Marriage 101 workshop, and would recommend it to any couple! What we learned in this workshop will really help us create a strong marriage together. Drs. Patrick and Michelle Gannon have been doing this workshop for years, and it shows. They are extremely knowledgeable about what makes marriages work, both through research and their own experience.

We especially liked that the workshop is skills based. It’s about… Read more

My fiance and I attended Marriage Prep 101 last weekend and really enjoyed it. Michelle and Patrick did a great job of dealing with very real issues surrounding marriage, yet managed to keep it light, fast paced and we both left feeling it was a great experience and closer to one another.

There was a little apprehension on my part about going to a marriage prep class, let alone one on a Friday night and… Read more

We have been seriously dating for two years. Although we’re generally satisfied with our relationship, we knew we would need to resolve a few issues before we could take it to the next level. When we found Marriage Prep 101, we liked the fact that it was non-religious and the description sounded like just what we were looking for!

The workshop centered around the seven keys to a lifelong marriage. Michelle and Patrick took turns… Read more

Andrew and I loved the Marriage Prep 101 workshop. Through fun exercises, we learned meaningful details about each other’s lives-things we had never shared before-which deepened our relationship. We also loved how Michelle and Patrick used elements of their own marriage to articulate the different elements of intimacy and connection and did so with humour and grace.

But our favorite part of the workshop (amazingly enough) was conflict resolution; as a couple, we learned techniques… Read more

It’s easy to get caught up in wedding planning and all the “to do’s” on the list. We’re really glad we made taking the Marriage Prep 101 workshop a priority. We feel it put into perspective the extent of the life change we are about to enter. After spending time on Friday evening, clarifying expectations and and then on Saturday, learning various communication tools we felt even more confident about our decision to marry… Read more

With only two and half months until our wedding date, Matt and I were on a path to divorce before we were even married. We argued all the time about small insignificant things as well as very important life changing decisions. We knew that we needed something to help us figure things out but did not know exactly what. A marriage therapist was not our style and going to our family was not working… Read more

Spending a weekend with Patrick and Michelle at Marriage Prep 101 was fantastic! We would highly recommend the program to any couple seeking to strengthen their relationship. When I first mentioned the workshop to Jeremy, panic buttons went off. “Talk about our relationship to people we don’t know?” We sat through the first part of the workshop and Jeremy was relieved to know you could speak up as much or as little as you… Read more

Despite the name Marriage Prep 101, this workshop is essential for newlyweds as well. My husband and I had been married four months and we were nearly five months pregnant when we took the class. Everything still applied to us and we were able to learn techniques to discuss and resolve conflicts that we thought we had already mastered. Michelle and Patrick present anecdotes from their own life so that you can relate to… Read more

My boyfriend and I really benefited from Patrick and Michelle’s class for a number of reasons. Mostly, it helped us deal with conflict resolution which seems to be our biggest challenge, especially after having moved in together. We’ve been a couple for over 2 years and are happily looking towards making it official. Marriage Prep 101 was very helpful as we were able to identify our strengths, challenges and ways we envision our future… Read more

In the throes of wedding planning and seemingly endless lists of “things to do” before the wedding, taking a time-out to spend such quality time with one another at Marriage Prep 101 was hands-down the best part of this blissful process so far – and that says a lot coming from a details girl! The Gannons have done a commendable job creating a workshop that touches on a variety of aspects surrounding marriage and… Read more

Marriage is hard work even for the most compatible couples. We realized that anything we could do to bolster our chances of success in our future marriage was time well spent, and the Gannons’ workshop may be some of most important time we’ve spent together as a couple thus far. It’s inevitable that conflicts arise in a relationship – especially after a few years – and having the skills to navigate those conflicts constructively… Read more

My fiance and I took this course and absolutely loved it! It provides a neutral setting to talk about challenging issues in the relationship and focus on the resolution.You also get to reflect on many of your strengths as well. I found the instructors to be knowledgeable and real. They do not preach about how a marriage should work in theory, they talk about the tools we can all use to make a marriage… Read more

I truly believe that this workshop should be required for any couple on their way to the altar. At first I wasn’t sure if I’d feel safe expressing myself in a format such as this. But I really did feel ‘safe’ to speak honestly with my partner. What really rang true for myself and my fiance is the fact that the presenters brought up the term “intentional marriage” to describe a more proactive way… Read more

We really enjoyed the Marriage Prep 101 workshop. The format was a nice blend of learning helpful concepts and tools and testing them out through practical exercises. We really appreciated the honesty and openness of the instructors. Michelle and Patrick used their own relationship experiences as examples – we got a first-hand account of how they learned to use the same techniques they teach. This provided an authenticity to the material that you don’t… Read more

Hi Patrick and Michelle, We’re back in Park City, and both wanted to thank you for the great weekend. It was everything we had hoped for as we rapidly approach our wedding day. Marie and I both agree that San Francisco is a wonderful venue, and wish to encourage other out-of-area couples to take the course. We used our free time to enjoy the sights and the great restaurants, while discussing the concepts, exercises,… Read more

We are really happy that we decided to attend the Marriage Prep 101 workshop, and we felt that it was a very worth while investment in our future. We were confident in our relationship going in, but the workshop solidified that we are good partners and gave us some very practical tools that are going to be very useful for getting through challenging situations. We found the conflict resolution topic to be the most… Read more

We got so much out of your Marriage Prep 101 class. We believe we have a solid relationship with very few issues. But your course gave us the tools to fine tune our communication skills and taught us how to identify our differences in a positive manner. Andree and I agree that we should take a class similar to yours every few years just to stay the course.As a family law attorney, I see… Read more

Pete and I want to let you know how much your Marriage Prep 101 workshop has helped us to realize what we want from our marriage–and that we are on the right path to making that happen. We know that we have decided to marry for myriad of reasons, but knowing what we want from each other sometimes gets nebulous. Your exercises in class helped to clarify our expectations and helped us to define… Read more

We were very happy with our experience attending Marriage Prep 101 workshop in July. We had previously attended Engagement Encounter, the workshop required by the Catholic church. We decided to attend Marriage Prep 101 also because we felt we would benefit from a scientific-based approach to creating a healthy foundation for our marriage. The fact that the Gannon’s are both psychologists in addition to being parents was a big plus for us. We were… Read more

We signed up for Marriage Prep 101 because we liked the idea of taking a marriage prep course from folks who (1) are happily married, (2) are licensed psychologists, and (3) use a research-based, secular approach. We were not interested in a religious approach to marriage preparation. As it turned out, we liked everything about Marriage Prep 101, starting with the online relationship questionnaire we took before the workshop. We reviewied the 21 page… Read more

Marriage Prep 101 is a wonderful, practical and inspiring workshop that teaches couples how to create their own “dream” marriage. We learned that successful marriages are created over time and don’t just happen–no matter how in love you are right now!

We went into the workshop (May, 2002) feeling very confidant about our relationship and came out of it with so much more than we ever expected. It affirmed our strengths but also identified areas… Read more