Aug 4, 2026
Engagement is a joyful season, but it can also become one of the most stressful seasons a couple will face together. Between wedding decisions, family expectations, budget conversations, guest lists, schedules, and the pressure of preparing for a life-changing commitment, many couples discover that stress can affect the way they communicate, make decisions, and stay connected.
In this episode of The Wedding Chaplain Podcast, David Anderson
talks with Dr. Laurel Mellin, a health psychologist, founder of
Emotional Brain Training, associate clinical professor at the
University of California, San Francisco, and New York Times
bestselling author. Dr. Mellin shares a brain-based, practical
approach to understanding stress and helping couples move toward
connection, clarity, and joy.
This conversation explores why engagement can become emotionally
intense, how stress shapes communication and decision-making, and
how couples can begin building healthier patterns before marriage.
Dr. Mellin also explains how Emotional Brain Training can help
couples recognize stress, calm their emotional responses, and
reconnect when tension begins to rise. Whether you are engaged,
newly married, or working to strengthen your relationship, this
episode offers helpful insight into the emotional patterns that
shape a marriage long after the wedding day has passed.
In this episode, we discuss:
• Why engagement can become more stressful than couples
expect
• How stress affects the brain, communication, and
decision-making
• Why wedding planning can reveal deeper relationship patterns
• How couples can stay connected during tense conversations
• The importance of healthy boundaries with family and outside
expectations
• How Emotional Brain Training can help couples move from stress
toward
connection
• Practical ways engaged couples can begin building healthier
marriage patterns
now
Dr. Laurel Mellin is the author of 1-2-3 Joy, and her work through
Emotional Brain Training helps people
understand the brain’s stress response and develop tools for
lasting emotional
health.
For Laurel Mellin’s social media accounts, please find them all
linked below:
Website: https://ebtconnect.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ebtgroups/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlaurelmellin/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurelmellin/
David Anderson's Linktree Profile
Pick up a copy of David’s Book, Before God and These Witnesses,
today:
https://www.amazon.com/Before-God-These-Witnesses-
Community/dp/1662876270.
Find the Wedding Chaplain on social media:
Facebook
Sponsor:
EWed
Insurance