Day 3 of the 2012 edition of the Joy FM Beauty and Bridal Fair has recorded exceptionally high attendance with the ever popular Marriage Seminar. A medical officer joined speakers at this year’s Marriage Seminar to address nagging medical challenges that potential and already married couples encounter in their relationships. The seminar is designed to sensitise prospective couples to help them make informed decisions and choices towards marriage. Speaker 1: Love Alone Is Not Enough Love alone is not enough to make a marriage thrive, says marriage counselor Theresa Wiafe-Asante of the International Central Gospel Church. Though love is a crucial requirement for relationships, she said, wisdom is required to make marriages work. Mrs Wiafe-Asante was speaking on the theme: Can We Still Find God Fearing Partners in the Church?. She explained that just like a seed, love grows and dies in marriage depending on how the partners nurture and rekindle it over the period of the marriage. She urged those who aspire to marry to look for partners in the church because there still exists good Christians in the house of God. The counselor emphasized that finding a partner required much effort. Speaker 2: Not every woman can give birth Dr Appiah Gyekye, a Medical Officer at the Holy Trinity Hospital in Accra revealed that though all women can be mothers not all women can bear children. He said some medical conditions can make it impossible for some women to give birth, stressing the need for medical screening before marriage. Childlessness although is a difficult situation to contend with, he stated that it should not deprive couples the joy of marriage. Dr Gyekye, who spoke on the theme: Medical Challenges in Marriage; What are they? How do you cope with it?, explained that couples who cannot have their own children can still become parents if they consider adoption as an option. He also touched on some behavioral partners that people should pay attention to when looking for life partners. Smoking and alcoholism on the part of a husband for instance poses risks not only for a woman but her children, including those unborn. Other conditions to look out for include: blood group, health problems as well as mental conditions like depression etc. But he maintained that with true love, all these situations which are likely to threaten the lifespan of marriages can be overcome. “How strong is your love?” he quizzed, saying that one needs a partner with great love to be there despite challenging medical situations. Speaker 3:Communication is not just talking Mrs Flora Sackey, who spoke on Communication in Marriage, Is It the Woman or Man’s Responsibility, explained that communication goes beyond merely talking to each other but sharing information. Both partners must pay attention and be careful not to offend each other when communicating, she stressed. Mrs Sackey also advised partners who tend to talk too much to tone down and admonished those who coil in their shells to “say something.” When there is a communication gap in a relationship, she maintained, couples will grow apart and love will eventually fade away. Click here for photographs of Day 3 of the Joy FM Beauty and Bridal Fair Speaker 4:Loving your mate through the seasons Reverend Dr Samuel Kisseadoo – also a marriage counselor – advised couples not to lose sight of the ‘little things’ they did to attract each other in the beginning of the relationship. He said challenges in marriages are inevitable but can be surmounted using the requisite materials. And to overcome challenges prone to all marriages, he admonished couples to: - Recognise and understand each other - Admire each other’s qualities - Know their differences and how to handle them - Communicate He encouraged men to pay attention to the following: - Listen to their women - Value them - Celebrate them - Love them - Affirm their love and approval for them - Wait on their partners Women on the other hand must know that men want: - Good looking partners - Good sex - Support - Admiration - Appreciation The reverend minister urged couples to renew their commitment throughout seasons in marriage and strive after mutual solutions to problems, look for warning signs and threats that are likely to ruin the marriage and tackle them together. The 10th edition of the Joy FM Beauty and Bridal Fair ended Sunday, July 8 2012.