Hello, my name is Emma and my husband’s name is Tom. We’ve been married since 26 July 2014. I am 27 and Tom is 29. We met whilst we were studying at the University of Birmingham. I studied Sport and Exercise Science and now work in Communications for a charity. Tom studied Mechanical Engineering and now works for Jaguar Landrover as a design engineer. We love being married but of course have had to work through things like any other couple.

That’s us. Emma & Tom Parkin in a nutshell.

Let me paint you a picture of the morning of the ‘A Day Together event’. We are both feeling rather run down, both battling being ill and wondering if we are being silly using all our energy driving down to Chippenham for the days event. We decide to go for it and after a few mishaps on our journey, end up arriving a bit stressed, a bit ill and a bit late!

We walk in feeling a bit embarrassed but are quickly reassured we have only missed the introduction and to make sure we help ourselves to drinks and biscuits. Phew!

The room is set out in a lovely relaxing way and there was definitely a soothing atmosphere, with music being played in the background. We had our own table, set apart from the other couples so lots of privacy to talk and have a big hug. Just what we needed to breathe and relax after a fraught start to the day.

The day was set out in short slots of time where you heard from couples experiences, watched videos and talked together as a couple. You had time to think for yourself about your relationship and then time to share with one another. I loved having the day to dedicate thought time to the journey we’ve already been on, what we love and appreciate about one another and how we are doing in our marriage at the moment. For me, the time given over to us sharing with each other was brilliant as I could feel us growing closer and closer during the day.

The day felt like a bit of a treat too as the lunch was superb and the cakes on offer were delicious. It was like a little afternoon tea day out in the countryside with helpful content thrown into the mix. We even had a chance to go for a walk and just be together, relaxed with no other pressures to distract us.

Tom says, “I was surprised that ‘A Day Together’ actually meant spending the time together and not just listening to speakers all day in a conference like setting.”

So even though the pressures of life hadn’t changed, we left feeling closer, more in love (ahhh) and more relaxed having spent a lovely day together. We weren’t the only ones who felt so positively about the day. Here are a few other comments from the day:

“Such a worthwhile way to spend your Saturday.”

“A Day Together provides an opportunity to understand and discuss our relationship, which we don’t often prioritise, in a non-threatening environment. A really valuable day invested in our marriage.”

“This is a fantastic way to reconnect with one another.”

“Not what I expected at all.”

“Time well spent.”

“Drop everything, cancel plans and attend.”

If you have now been convinced to go, (hoping you have!), don’t delay and get yourself booked in for our next event here.