About Marriage Prep 101

💍 Strengthen Your Marriage from the Start

Marriage Prep 101 (MP101) is a trusted, research-based relationship education program that’s been helping couples build strong, lasting marriages for nearly 30 years — making it the longest-running marriage preparation workshop in the San Francisco Bay Area.

More than a class, it’s a transformational experience that helps engaged, newlywed, and seriously dating couples strengthen communication, deepen intimacy, and create a shared vision for the future.
You’ll learn practical, evidence-based tools that keep love alive through all of life’s seasons — taught in a positive, uplifting, and engaging way that makes growth feel natural and even fun.

📘 Learn

Discover what healthy, effective communication truly looks like.
In Marriage Prep 101, you’ll learn how to navigate conflict with respect, express needs clearly, and build habits that keep your relationship strong for the long term.

Topics include:
• Communication and listening skills
• Expressing needs clearly
• Understanding emotional triggers
• Navigating differences
• Compatibilities & incompatibilities
• Conflict management tools
• De-escalation and quick repair
• Building trust and safety
• Expectations and shared vision
• Family-of-origin patterns
• Financial communication
• Physical and emotional intimacy

💞 Connect

Explore what makes your bond strong.
Through guided discussions, partner exercises, and tools like the Instigator of Love card deck, you’ll build emotional intimacy and strengthen your sense of teamwork.

Topics include:
• Expressing appreciation
• Keeping fun and affection alive
• Managing stress as a team
• Strengthening connection after difficult moments

🌿 Grow

Every couple leaves with personalized insights and practical tools for long-term success.
You’ll clarify shared values, identify growth edges, and create a solid foundation for your future together.

Topics include:
• Shared values and goals
• Balancing independence and togetherness
• Understanding personality patterns
• Creating habits and rituals that support connection

💞 Format & Locations

Marriage Prep 101 offers three flexible formats so you can choose what best fits your lifestyle:

Group Workshops — Connect and grow alongside other couples in a supportive community.

🩵 1-Day Workshop in San Francisco
🌺 2-Day Retreat in Santa Cruz

Private 1:2 Workshop over Zoom or in Santa Cruz— Work directly with Michelle Joy, MFT for personalized attention and customized guidance.

All Marriage Prep 101 formats include the same trusted curriculum, workbook, and hands-on coaching with Michelle. The main difference lies in the setting, pacing, and level of personalization.

Use the chart below to compare what’s included in each format and find the one that best fits your needs

Feature	SF · 1-Day Workshop	🌺 SC · 2-Day Retreat (Most Popular)	Private · 1:2 with Michelle
Marriage Prep 101 Workbook	✅	✅	✅
Coaching from Michelle	✅	✅	✅
Instigator of Love Card Deck	✅	✅	✅
Breakfast & Refreshments	✅	✅	❌
RELATE Relationship Inventory	❌	✅	❌
Enneagram Relationship Profile	✅*	✅*	✅*
Marriage Bond™ Vow-Writing	❌	✅	❌
Shared Values Ritual	❌	✅	❌
Message-in-a-Bottle Gift	✅	✅	❌
Gift Cards / Prize Giveaways	❌	✅	❌
Certificate of Completion	✅	✅	✅
Hotel Discount (15%)	❌	✅	❌
Optional Local Experience Add-Ons	❌	✅	❌
Schedule Flexibility	❌	❌	✅
Personalized Guidance	✅	✅	✅
Investment (per couple)	$597	$897	$1,297

* All formats include an Enneagram Relationship Profile; it’s more personalized in the Santa Cruz and Private options.

🧠 Marriage Prep 101 Integrates Two Powerful Sources of Insight:

1️⃣ The latest scientific research on what makes marriages thrive.
You’ll learn evidence-based tools to communicate better, resolve conflict, and build lasting emotional intimacy.

2️⃣ Real-world experience from Michelle Joy, MFT, program owner and instructor.
With almost 25 years of specializing in couples therapy, Michelle has seen firsthand what helps relationships flourish — and what causes them to drift apart.

Again and again, couples tell her:

“We wish we’d learned these tools before we got married.”

Marriage Prep 101 was created to give you those tools now — before unhealthy patterns take hold.

You’ll leave with a clear roadmap for your relationship, grounded in understanding, teamwork, and love.

What Makes Marriage Prep 101 Unique

Unlike traditional premarital courses or church-based programs, Marriage Prep 101 is non-religious, inclusive, and science-based.

It’s ideal for engaged, newly married, or long-term couples who want practical communication tools, not just theory or advice.

You’ll gain:

A deeper appreciation of your partner’s inner world
Confidence in how to handle challenges together
Lifelong skills to keep your connection vibrant and resilient

For Couples of All Faiths and Backgrounds

Marriage Prep 101 welcomes couples of every faith, culture, and belief system, including interfaith and non-religious partners. We focus on universal, research-backed relationship skills that strengthen communication, commitment, and connection — skills that complement whatever spiritual or personal values you already hold dear.

The Best Time to Attend

The ideal time to take Marriage Prep 101 is before challenges arise — when you’re curious, open, and ready to grow. Studies show there’s a “magic window” for learning marriage skills: from the year before marriage through the first couple of years after. Couples who attend during this time establish healthy habits that last a lifetime. Many seriously dating or pre-engaged couples also attend to deepen their bond and ensure alignment before taking the next step.

Media Recognition & Awards

Marriage Prep 101 has been featured in:
CBS Early Show • TIME • PEOPLE • HuffPost • Chicago Tribune • San Francisco Chronicle • Match.com • Modern Bride • Evening Magazine TV • Ronn Owens Radio Show and many more. It has also been voted “Best of the Bay” six times by San Francisco Bay Guardian readers and recognized multiple times for excellence in relationship education.