Preparing for a Marriage vs. Preparing for a Wedding

Often times I think during engagement we focus too much on the wedding planning and not enough on the marriage planning.  During courtship we should be getting to know the person and start discussing issues that will help prepare for marriage, but sometimes this is put on the back burner, saved till later, and it really shouldn't be.  I also liked how in class we discussed the four distinct phases in a relationship: dating, courtship, engagement, and marriage and how important it is to not "slide" into any one of the phases.  If a couple that is dating "slides" into courtship they may not know where each other stands and what the expectations are.  Sliding into engagement is not good either because the couple hasn't started to make clear boundaries between the couple and their families.  Sliding into marriage is not healthy either because that often involves couples cohabiting before they acutally get married. They are also less likely to be prepared and ready for the commitment of marriage if they slide into it.