Chris Pratt credits premarital counseling with helping him and Katherine Schwarzenegger tackle expectations and potential challenges before their 2019 wedding, emphasizing its importance in building a strong foundation for their marriage. The Guardians of the Galaxy star, previously married to Anna Faris until 2018, recently shared insights into what supported his successful second marriage during a conversation with Rob Lowe on the SiriusXM podcast Literally! With Rob Lowe.
The Premarital Counseling Process at St. Monica Catholic Church
Pratt explained that part of marrying at St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica involves mandatory premarital counseling for engaged couples. Both he and Schwarzenegger completed six sessions with a counselor who helped them prepare for married life. The sessions resembled the Catholic Pre-Cana program, designed to address a wide range of possible conflicts before the wedding day.
Part of getting married at St. Monica’s church is doing premarital counseling,
he explained.
We did like, six sessions with this guy who was, by the way, the best thing in the world.
– Chris Pratt
Addressing Potential Conflicts Ahead of Time
The counseling covered a variety of topics from overarching life values to everyday details that might otherwise cause disputes, such as when to start and end holiday decorations. Pratt described the experience as identifying and diffusing numerous potential “landmines” before they could ignite tension in the marriage.
It’s like 300 potential landmines and [you can] diffuse them beforehand. And that way, if you have an issue, you talk about it, and you hash it out.
– Chris Pratt
He added that the therapist’s role was to help navigate these sensitive subjects without escalating into arguments, making the counseling both practical and peaceful. He strongly recommended premarital counseling to anyone preparing for marriage.
This therapist who’s basically diffusing a bomb, but in a way that’s not gonna cause an argument or a fight. ‘Cause a lot of this stuff can make you angry or upset or triggered or whatever. So I definitely recommend [it] for anybody,
Chris maintained.
Life After Marriage and Preparing for a Blended Family
Since their wedding in 2019, the couple has welcomed three children together: daughters Lyla, 5, Eloise, 3, and son Ford, 1. Pratt also has a 12-year-old son, Jack, from his previous marriage. Schwarzenegger has discussed her own journey adapting to step-parenting, highlighting its complex nature and the challenges of blending families.
Step-parenting, like parenting, has no handbook. Because I have the benefit of being in both roles. Step-parenting is extra confusing because you aren’t a parent, you’re not a nanny, you’re not an assistant. You have responsibilities in all of those areas but you’re not either of them,
she added.
Significance of Premarital Preparation
Chris Pratt’s experience underscores how premarital counseling can help couples handle conflicts proactively, fostering communication before marriage pressures intensify. For blended families like his and Schwarzenegger’s, preparing emotionally and practically appears essential in creating harmony. Their story may inspire others to consider premarital guidance as a vital investment in long-term marital health.
