Ready to learn the secrets we have learned over the years to holding a successful couples retreats?

Couples have different needs, so there are lots of different types of couple’s retreats. Some are general retreats that work on marriages as a whole, while others focus on more specific problems or goals, some are faith based and others focus on building intimacy. While these retreats are different, the fundamental architecture and principals behind successful couples retreats are the same. Properly structured couples retreats can be a very effective way to help couples in many of the same ways. We have hosted over 60 years of successful retreats and are excited to share with you a few of the most important items to include in your itinerary as you plan for your next couples retreat:

Help Them To Build Communication Skills

Communication is the foundation to every relationship. Building and maintaining strong communication skills should be at the center of very couple’s retreat planning session. No matter what the issue you are trying to solve, or marital skill you are trying to cultivate or teach at your marriage retreat or couples retreat, teaching the couples that attend your retreat how to communicate well with each other is key to the success of your retreat. Couples talk to each other all day long, but they often don’t communicate their feelings very well. Teaching couples to learn how to speak to each other in a way that is helpful and constructive to their marriage is one of the skills they will come back to continue mastering with you year after year. According to assistant professor and relational communications expert Sean Horan, relationships are built and sustained on both verbal and nonverbal communication, so this is critical.

Instruct Them In the Art Of Learning to Listen

Every communication has two parts – Send and Receive. This section of your couple’s retreat itinerary is equally as important as teaching the couples that attend your retreat to communicate. It is the other half, and some say, the better half of communication. Couples need to learn how to listen to each other. After all, you can talk all day long, but if your words fall on deaf ears, nothing will change. By teaching the couples that attend your marriage retreat or couples retreat how to actively listen, your guests will be one step closer to having a strong bond with their significant other. Short on ideas of how to teach or inspire active listening? There are many online resources, like this article from the Huffington Post on Learning to Listen that can help provide a starting point for your lesson plans. One of the major benefits to holding your couples retreat or marriage retreat at Kulaqua Retreat and Conference Center is that the quiet beauty of the natural surroundings evoke a quiet calm to soothe and encourage your guests as they learn to improve their listening skills

Give Them Tools To Help Them Realize They Need To Prioritize Their Marriage

Another very important focus of your couples retreats is to teach couples how to put their spouses first again. This is key to building a happy marriage. But life often gets in the way of marriage. Focus on teaching the couples that attend your marriage or couples retreat at Kulaqua Retreat and Conference Center that Time = Love. “We spend time on what is important to us.” People raise kids, go to work, and tackle other duties. By the time they are done with all of that, they forget to invest anything into their marriages, or have little life or energy left to give to this very important aspect of their lives. Use practical ways to help the couples that attend your marriage retreat or couples retreat see they way they are prioritizing their lives. Here is a great practical example from Abby Rozen. Kulaqua Retreat and Conference Center is imbued with our natural environment’s peace and tranquility can help provide a very effective starting point for bringing peace into what can at times be a volatile subject. Our distraction free and heart nurturing location helps focus your guest’s energies on personal introspection and on each other.

Don’t Be Afraid To Tackle Big Problems

Sometimes a large percentage of the couples attending your couples retreat or marriage retreat may be trying to recover their love for each other after experiencing major breakdowns in their marriages. They might even be close to divorcing. At Kulaqua Retreat and Conference Center, we can help you provide the practical opportunities these types of couples need to remind them what they love about their partners. We have many structured activitiesand exercises on premises that you can use to help them learn to trust and rely on their partners. For your adventurous guests, we have our physical and challenging ropes course to bring back the trust between couples. For your conservative guests, we have horseback riding along our beautiful trails and swimming or canoeing. If fun is your focus, we have countless activities to help couples have fun together, such as horseback riding, swimming, and putt-putt golf. There are also activities to build trust, and a zip-line for thrill seekers. In addition, there is an abundance of wildlife on the property, and we have our own zoo and nature center, and miles of trails, making Kulaqua the perfect spot for them to take a stroll with their significant other. Learning to work together toward a common goal helps bring couples back together. Kulaqua Retreat and Conference Center has many stimulating activities that can be incorporated into any of the exercises you would like your guests to share in.

The Three Most Important Things to Consider for Your Retreat: Location, Location, Location!

Deciding that you need to provide a couple’s retreat for your special group is an important step, but you still need to choose the location. This can actually be the most important success factor for your retreat. Our North Florida location is convenient to several major cities in any direction, and our quiet, country location makes it easy for your guests to relax and reflect on the relationship issues they face. Kulaqua Retreat and Conference Center also has top-notch accommodations for your retreat. We have many different lodging options available, from hotel-style accommodations, private lodges, houses and family style chalets to tenting and RV sites. Stillwaters Lodge and our hotel style lodges are the most popular choices for many couples and marriage retreats. Are the beds comfortable? Is the ambiance right? Are the activities available interesting and diverse enough to keep your group engaged and wanting more? If the answer is yes to all of the above, as it is at Kulaqua, there is no reason why your careful planning can’t turn your special marriage retreat into an annual event that brings couples together year after year.

Join Thousands of Successful Couples and Marriage Retreat Planners And Choose Kulaqua For Your Next Event

Over 60 years of marriage retreat and couples retreat planners agree: Kulaqua Retreat and Conference Center is the perfect place for your next couple’s retreat or marriage retreat in Florida. We have everything you need to encourage your guests to connect with their partner, whether they are here for a night or an entire week. Marriage is worth fighting for. Whether it is on the verge of divorce or just need to get that old spark back, a retreat can help to get your guests back on the road to having a happy, healthy marriage.

Ready to start planning your retreat?