What is Covenant Marriage?
” Couples wishing to marry in Louisiana are now required to choose between two marriage regimes: the standard marriage with virtually unrestricted access to no-fault divorce or a covenant marriage designed to be somewhat harder both to enter and to exit. The covenant option specifically acknowledges that marriage is a lifelong commitment and differs from conventional marriage in a number of additional ways: – Covenant marriage requires premarital counseling. Counseling must include discussions of the seriousness of marriage, the lifelong commitment being made by the couple to their marriage, the obligation to seek marital counseling if problems arise later in the marriage, and the exclusive grounds for divorce or legal separation in a covenant marriage. Couples must sign an affidavit acknowledging their commitment and prove that they have received counseling on these issues. – Likewise, divorce from a covenant marriage requires the couple to have sought marriage counseling and to have
