Premarital Coaching in Asheville
(or anywhere!)
with a Licensed Therapist

Amanda, owner of Happily Ever Asheville, isn’t just a wedding officiant—she’s also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with more than 10 years of experience helping couples and families build stronger, healthier relationships.

She created this premarital coaching program after seeing a pattern throughout her clinical work: many couples don’t seek support until they’re already in crisis.

Research from the Gottman Institute—the same evidence-based approach used in our coaching—shows that couples wait an average of six years after relationship problems begin before asking for help. By then, unhealthy communication patterns, unresolved conflict, and emotional distance have often become deeply ingrained.

Amanda believes preparing for marriage should be just as normal as planning a wedding. Instead of crossing your fingers and hoping love will magically carry you through every challenge, why not learn the skills that healthy relationships are built on?

Maddie Kay Photography June Bug

If you’ve met Amanda, you know she has a knack for making even the toughest conversations feel approachable. She combines compassion, humor, and a down-to-earth teaching style to create a space where couples can laugh, learn, ask honest questions, and grow together.

Drawing on her clinical experience and evidence-based relationship education, Amanda helps engaged couples strengthen communication, deepen emotional connection, and develop practical skills before challenges become entrenched.

Every premarital coaching session is designed to help you build a resilient, fulfilling marriage from the very beginning—not by relying on blind optimism, but by creating a strong foundation together.

Through this educational coaching program, you and your partner will identify your relationship’s greatest strengths, uncover areas for growth, and learn practical communication and conflict-resolution skills that can help you build a lasting, healthy marriage.

Whether you’re local to Western North Carolina or planning your wedding from another state, sessions are available in person in Asheville or virtually, giving you the flexibility to prepare for marriage from wherever you are.

Why Choose Our Premarital Coaching Program?

Unlike many premarital coaching or premarital counseling programs, this package includes the Gottman Relationship Checkup Assessment—one of the most trusted relationship assessments available.

The assessment provides personalized insight into your relationship by measuring strengths, identifying growth areas, and offering research-based recommendations. Rather than using a one-size-fits-all curriculum, every coaching session is customized to your unique relationship.

By combining the Gottman Relationship Checkup with four focused coaching sessions, you’ll receive personalized guidance, evidence-based relationship education, and practical tools designed to help you communicate more effectively, navigate conflict with confidence, and start your marriage on a strong foundation.

This package is now available to all couples, even if you are not booking Happily Ever Asheville as your officiant.

Start your married life with intention!

Inquire Today!

  • We love Amanda! Highly recommend her premarital coaching sessions!

    We love Amanda! Highly recommend her premarital coaching sessions! It was helpful to build new skills - and have fun while doing it! This was a great program that we entered as a happy engaged couple - and left feeling like we had a better understanding of the tools that keep a relationship strong. <3 Plus - we know she is just a call away for continued support if we need her skills as a licensed therapist. -Kayla + Nathan

  • Amanda is a phenomenal resource!

    Amanda is a fantastic premarital coach. She is extremely personable and made us feel very comfortable talking about harder topics. Amanda is a phenomenal resource for any couple looking to strengthen their relationship. We couldn’t be more excited to get married and are so grateful for Amanda helping set us up for success! -Michael + Steph

 FAQs

  • Unfortunately, NC does not provide any incentives at this time.

    South Carolina offers a $50 state income tax credit (Learn more)

    Tennessee will waive the $60 marriage license fee (Learn more)

  • Yes. Coaching is available to any couple wishing to start their married life with intention! Submit an inquiry to schedule your 15-min free consult.

  • Short answer, no.

    For the long answer, go to the next question. :)

  • The initial session is focused on getting to know you two and reviewing current strengths and opportunities.

    We’ll go through your Gottman Relationship Checkup results and create a focus for the next three sessions. You’ll likely walk away with a “homework” assignment.

  • Sessions 2-3 are focused on individualized goals as identified in the initial session. Topics include: friendship, intimacy, emotions, conflict, values, and trust, as well as parenting, housework, finances, individual areas of concern, and more.

    During the final session we’ll review your Marriage Success Plan and wrap up any loose ends. You’ll walk away feeling so pumped for marriage!

  • The actual time it takes to complete each assessment varies based on individual responses, the complexity of relationship dynamics, and the optional use of comment areas to provide additional information about the relationship. On average, you can expect to spend between 1-2 hours completing the questionnaire.