Walters Art Museum Courtship is the period in a couple's relationship which precedes their engagement and marriage, or establishment of an agreed relationship of a more enduring kind.During courtship, a couple get to know each other and decide if there will be an engagement or other such agreement.Courtship may be completely omitted, as in cases of some arranged marriages where the couple do not meet before the wedding.In the United Kingdom, a poll of 3,000 While the date is fairly casual in most European-influenced cultures, in some traditional societies, courtship is a highly structured activity, with very specific formal rules.A man will court a particular woman because he believes it is possible that he could marry her, and the courtship is the process of discerning whether that belief is correct.To the extent that the Bible addresses premarital relationships at all, it uses the language of men marrying and women being given in marriage. Selfishness is not what drives a Biblical marriage, and therefore should not be what drives a Biblical courtship.Many want to know how they can go about getting to know someone and eventually getting married without getting hurt or compromising their faith.At Focus on the Family, we've offered a range of resources and expert advice bringing biblical principles to bear in this area.

But the problem comes when you face the reality that the way some people actually implement courtship has been taken to extremes, and has painted "courtship" in a fanatical light.

The average duration of courtship varies considerably throughout the world.

Furthermore, there is vast individual variation between couples.

Ivory French casket with scenes of romances – possibly a courtship gift.

Courtship is the systematic process that one undergoes in order to ensure compatibility with a lifelong partner.