Nick and Ashley Stembridge, who participated in a marriage mentoring program at Silverdale Baptist Church, pose for a portrait on the front porch of their home Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, in Ooltewah, Tenn.More Info
If you goWhat: 2 to 1 Premarital and Newlywed ClassWhere: Silverdale Baptist Church chapel, 7236 Bonny Oaks DriveWhen: 3-6 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 10-Feb. 14; The In-Law Boot Camp, for the couples’ parents, Thurs., Feb. 11Fee: $150 per couple, includes two dinners and three social activitiesPreregister: silverdalebc.comInformation: thymer@silverdalebc.com
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Qualifying for an examption on the marriage license feeThe Tennessee General Assembly enacted Chapter No. 854 of the Public Acts of 2002. Included in the act is an additional $62.50 fee when applying for a marriage license. But couples may be exempt of this fee by completion of permarital counseling. The cost of a marriage license in Hamilton County is $102.50, according to the County Clerk office.To qualify for the exemption by attending a premarital preparation course, both applicants must submit a Certification of Completion filled out by the course provider, showing that they have attended the course within one year of the date of application to the County Clerk for the license.
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First Things First offers premarital counseling classFirst Things First, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening marriages, is offering Preparing for Marriage on Saturday, Jan. 23, at the nonprofit’s office at 620 Lindsay St.The class will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and includes lunch in the $50 fee.Couples must complete all six hours to receive the premarital counseling marriage license discount in Tennessee and Georgia.“Research shows that when couples get premarital counseling, they are 30 percent less likely to divorce,” says Julie Baumgardner, president of First Things First.
Before Nick and Ashley Stembridge married in March, she assumed she’d have control of the checkbook.
“I thought I was going to be in charge of finances, and Nick was OK with it,” she says, laughing now at that notion. “But then we learned in premarital classes that it’s not one person in the household doing the finances, that you need to work as a team. Now when we pay our bills, we talk about it.”