When you are in your first year of marriage, family, friends and colleagues are constantly trying to chime in with their “marriage advice” for newlyweds. Unfortunately, not every piece of advice you receive is good for your marriage. In fact, you should only take advice from trusted sources.

6 Sources of Good Marriage Advice for Newlywed Couples

1. The church

Christian couples can always turn to the church for marriage help. Usually, the couple discusses their situation with the pastor who then offers spiritual and emotional guidance and support. If the pastor feels a couple requires professional help from a qualified counselor, he or she will recommend one.

2. The Bible

The bible can be a great source of marital advice as there are many bible verses on marriage. Through bible study and prayer, couples can discern God’s will for their marriage.

3. Books, DVDs and web-based resources by reputable authors

Books, DVDs and online articles on marriage enrichment can be an invaluable resource for couples in their first year of marriage. This is because they are readily available and can be used within the comfort of the home. Also, couples can always ask their pastor to recommend some reputable authors.

4. Marriage seminars, retreats and boot camps

There are certain skills that are essential to the success of marriage such as financial planning, time management, communication, conflict resolution skills among others. Attending marriage seminars, retreats and boot camps and other skills-building programs helps couples to acquire these skills. Most churches either organize or recommend reputable seminars, retreats and boot camps to their members.

5. Mentor couples

Every newlywed couple should have at least one older, more-experienced mentor couple whose marriage they admire. Mentor couples offer practical advice from their own personal experience. Best of all, they are often only a phone call away and can come in handy when unexpected marital problems arise.

6. Marital Counseling

Although many couples only seek marital counseling when their marriages are in trouble, counseling can also be used for skills building. For instance, newlyweds can seek counseling to improve their communication patterns and figure out how to deal with major life transitions.

If you are a newlywed couple looking for trustworthy sources of marital advice, the above list of sources of marriage advice for newlyweds is a good starting point. So bookmark it! You never know when you might need to refer back to it.