Tips To Maximize Your Weekend Away
Congrats on booking your Weekend to Remember!
Whether it feels like it or not, you just took a giant leap for the benefit of your marriage. The weekend is designed to help you and your spouse move away from isolation and toward oneness—whether you’re coming in drowning or dancing (or some combination of the two).
We want you to get the most out of your time away together, so here are a few tips to help you pack your bags and prepare your hearts.
1. Pack the essentials.
If you tend to get cold in hotel lobbies or ballrooms, bring a cozy sweater. Check the weather in your location (you don’t want to freeze, sweat, or get poured on). Consider the hotel amenities—want to use the gym, pool, or hot tub? Make sure to bring your gear!
Don’t forget: Saturday night is left open for a special date, so don’t forget to pack a little something, something for your special time together.
2. Speaking of date night…
Unless one of you is really into surprises, it might be good to get on the same page about the type of date you want. Fancy dinner and a walk? Picnic before an escape room? This time is yours to connect in whatever way you need—whether that’s lots of eye contact and conversation or doing something fun and out of the box.
Once you agree: Do some research (if needed)! Scope out the area for what’s available, check out reviews, make reservations. The last thing you want is to waste that valuable date-night time with the whole “what do you want to do?” “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” exchange (our guess is that conversation happens enough in normal life).
3. Consider going screen-free for your one-on-one time.
We know this might be controversial, so hear us out. We probably don’t need to convince you that screens, while often needed and sometimes entertaining, are a huge distraction. We get it—many of us use our phones/screens for work and personal email, ordering vitamins or socks, and sometimes to zone out. But just for date night, think about whether you might like to commit to making phones for emergencies only so you can focus on each other and your marriage.
Please hear our hearts: We like our phones. But we’ve also gotten to the end of a weekend away only to realize we “accidentally” spent hours scrolling that we wish we’d spent going on a walk, reading aloud, playing a board game, or even something a little more intimate. Again, your weekend is your own! This is just an invitation to use it with intentionality.
4. Come with a growth mindset.
This means, among other things, you believe that change is possible. That growth can happen. That you’re open to learning, and hearing, loving feedback and translating it into action. You may hear some things you’re not entirely comfortable with (yet!) from your spouse, the speakers, or the Holy Spirit. But we recommend listening with an open heart and being willing to try. You never know what God could do!
A note on growth: We’re not saying that—on a scale from 1 to 10, where 10 is “our marriage rocks” and 1 is “our marriage is over”—you should expect to come in as a 1 and leave as a 10. Generally speaking, couples self-report an improvement of around two points on the scale over the course of the weekend. But those two points can represent a great deal of relief, hope, or joy.
5. Last, but certainly not least, begin praying for it!
The Bible says “the king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1). God alone can soften, convict, turn, or encourage hearts. Whether you are coming in need of a miracle or simply want some quality alone time, ask God to bless your weekend. Ask Him to prepare you both for whatever He may have in store for you. Ask Him to help you to have fun together, to be honest with each other, and to enjoy each other.
Did you know: FamilyLife has people already praying for you. While you’re at the conference, volunteers are praying over you the entire time you’re there. We’ve seen God do some pretty amazing things, and we’re asking Him to do just that at your event.
There you have it! Five ways to maximize your weekend away. If you have any other questions, check out our FAQ or call 1-800-FL-TODAY
