Couples Retreat

August 28-29, 2026 | St. George, UT

“I didn’t marry you because you were perfect. I didn’t even marry you because I loved you. I married you because you gave me a promise. That promise made up for your faults. And the promise I gave you made up for mine. Two imperfect people got married and it was the promise that made the marriage. And when our children were growing up, it wasn’t a house that protected them; and it wasn’t our love that protected them—it was that promise.”

Thornton Wilder, The Skin of Our Teeth

Our retreat goals:
strengthen your love, your marriage, and your promise.

“I realized that I have been emotionally unavailable to my husband most of our married life. I’ve been afraid and a bit unaware of what he’s been talking about. This has been what I have really needed.”
–  Jane

“I loved the retreat. For me it was amazing and so helpful to be able to work thru communication with my spouse. I really enjoyed the woman breaking off to talk about sensitive subjects but then coming together as a group to discuss further.”
–  Julies

“Our largest success for the weekend was that we had heartfelt conversations that we have been avoiding for a long time and made a recommitment to creating a marriage we both want and desire.”
–  Jeff & Jennifer
“The couples retreat was amazing, uplifting, informative, and a big help in our marriage. It was just what we needed right now. Time away from home and time away from distractions to focus on us, our relationship and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
–  Julies
“The amount of time and small extra presents were a great added touch. I was more effected by the material and presentation than I anticipated. The actual small actions or assignments were thought provoking. We were able to discuss things that we needed. It gave us permission, time and ideas about how to go about these hard conversations. Thank you. We are doing this again!”
–  Jeff & Jennifer
“Wish we could have and more time togehter. We needed 36 hours in a day!”
–  Jason
“I liked the format of having reading and discussions mixed with actions. It was effective to hit all those ways to learn.”
–  Jeff & Jennifer

Aracadia Resort

Our retreat takes place at the beautiful Arcadia Resort in Santa Clara, Utah.

Southern Utah is a geological wonder with an abundance of impressive scenery and outdoor recreation. Arcadia is conveniently located to many renowned state and national parks, outdoor recreation, and local conveniences of St. George:

“We loved the North Star Couples Retreat! The resort was amazing. We made so many new friends. We loved the discussions and invitations. This retreat is a great way to reconnect and discover each other again. Thank you for a weekend of bliss.”

– Jon and Heather

Register now

Space is limited, register early!
Once all spaces are filled you will be placed on a waiting list.

Registration:

$475/couple

Registration fee includes:

  • 2 nights at the resort (Friday & Saturday)
  • Friday: Lunch & Dinner
  • Saturday: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
  • Sunday: Breakfast
  • Retreat Materials
  • Activities at the resort
  • Snacks throughout the retreat

Thursday night stay at the resort is available for an additional $150 subject to availability.

“The group discussions lead to an open conversation that my wife and I have never had. This openness will make important and specific communication finally possible. It’s been an invaluable investment for the most important aspect of our lives. I’m so glad we came and hope to sincerely remember and apply what we’ve learned.”–  Jake

“I’m so happy we took these three days to strengthen our marriage and make new friends!”
–  Amy C.

“Well worth the time together to strengthen our eternal commitment to each other.”
–  Jason

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About the Retreat

Improving Intimacy in Our Marriages

 

There are so many facets to intimacy and it’s a vital key within marriages. This weekend will focus on the following ways to increase intimacy.

  1. Intimacy in general.
  2. Understanding ourselves and connecting with our spouse.
  3. Physical Intimacy
  4. Communication & emotional intimacy
  5. Understanding our spouse and our relationship.
“An ah-ha moment during the weekend was when I realized that my wife and I found each other at a young age to have the love we did not have at home. It helped us grow stronger to be able to go through all life’s challenges and come out together still.”
–  Jason
“For me an ‘ah-ha’ was really about loving myself and to quit saying negative things about myself. Also how to better communicate with my spouse.”
–  Julies

“Marriage is like growing flowers. You always have to work on it. If you don’t, the weeds start to grow and choke out the flowers. When you garden, it’s important to have good tools. You can even carry water by hand an dig in the dirt with your hands, but it’s much much easier to use a hose and a shovel… [now] we have the right tools and skills to make the kind of marriage we want.”

– Harville Hendrix, Getting the Love You Want

 

further details

The retreat will begin at 10:00am on Friday morning and continue through Sunday morning at 9:00am.

Further details are forthcoming.

Attendance

We ask that everyone attending the retreat stay at the resort. This will be an experiential retreat, which means that each session will build upon the session before it, so we encourage everyone to participate in all of the sessions. By doing this, you will increase the effectiveness of what you learn during the retreat.

Meals

We will provide lunch & dinner on Friday, breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday, and breakfast Sunday morning.

Fun & Connection!

Between sessions, there will be down time and planned activites. Additionally, the resort is full of fun things to do. A detailed scheduled will be provided after registration. 

Confidentiality

Upon arrival we will ask that everyone sign a confidentiality agreement. Not all who participate are open about their affiliation with the LGBTQIA+ community or other reasons they may be attending this retreat and therefore will we ask everyone to keep the identities of other participants confidential. You are welcome to share with others your experience from the retreat, but we ask that you keep names of other participants private.

“I like how the sessions built on each other and how we were able to build safe, vulnerable friendships in an open environment. I came in with an open mind and ready to work and I was not disappointed in the least!”
–  Amy C.

“The retreat created an environment that allowed a great level of vulnerability to really share about our marriages. The information presented was helpful with all of the sources to look at later. It helped hearing other couples’ stories as well.”
–  Jeff & Jennifer

“The food was fabulous. There was so much work to make things special, both with the things we learned and with fun and creative treats and gifts to make our time special and memorable. Every couple needs this kind of weekend!”
– Amy C.

“The group sessions were very engaging and applicable. The booklet is a terrific study aid for us, as well as a reminder of all we’ve learned.”
–  Jake

“I loved the open discussion and connection with others.”
– Jon and Heather

“We were surprised how we were able to become friends and confidants with the others attending so quickly. We were able to share without being ashamed or uncomfortable.”
–  Jane

For questions, contact tanya.bennion@northstarsaints.org.