What is a UME Weekend?
Combining sound psychology, practical methods and Christian values, the United Marriage Encounter Weekend is designed to help improve communication between husband and wife. Any married couple, regardless of age, length of marriage or faith can enjoy and benefit greatly from a UME Weekend.
UME Weekends are hosted by volunteer leadership couples who will teach various methods to help improve communication between spouses. The leadership couples will also demonstrate these methods by sharing experiences from their personal lives. Held in a conference-styled setting with about 15 to 30 couples, the Weekend is conducted in a non-intrusive manner; after the initial introductions, no other group sharing is required of participants.
Throughout the Weekend, you and your spouse will focus on each other, trying out the communication tools and ideas presented. The UME Weekend provides you a priceless opportunity; not only to learn new ways to communicate, but also to connect with your spouse on a much deeper emotional and spiritual level.
What Encountered Couples Say About Their Weekend
"We are very thankful for the opportunity to attend United Marriage Encounter Singapore 2026. We decided to attend because some of our friends had experienced UME before and shared how much it had benefited their marriage. They encouraged us to give it a try, and we’re really glad we did. It gave us a chance to slow down, spend quality time together, talk about things we don’t normally talk about, and understand each other better. It also reminded us not to take each other for granted and to continue putting effort into our marriage.
We are truly grateful to our friends for encouraging us and to the UME team for creating such a meaningful experience for couples. We came away feeling closer and more appreciative of each other."
~ Adrian & Xin Cheong, encountered in Singapore, April 2026.
"We wanted to mark our 25th year anniversary by attending the UME retreat. It was precious to have 3 days set aside to just focus on each other. The deep sharing inspired us to not just hear information but communicate more effectively and discern feelings to grow in intimacy with each other. We had a wonderful experience and highly recommend it to any couple who want to grow their marriage."
~ Neeven & Lynette Subramaniam, encountered in Singapore, April 2026.
"When my husband and I attended the UME Weekend in April, we did not know exactly what to expect. As a newly married couple, we thought it would simply be a good opportunity to spend some time together. But the weekend became much more meaningful
than we expected. One thing we really appreciated was having the space to step away from our normal routines and distractions. Through the letters from other couples, the sharing of the hosting couples, and the conversations with other couples who were also attending, we
were reminded that every marriage has its own journey. Hearing couples share honestly about their years of marriage encouraged us to look at our own marriage with more gratitude and hope. Most importantly, UME gave my husband and me time to slow down and truly listen to each other. Some of our conversations were simple, while others helped us talk about things we do not always have time to talk about in our busy daily lives."
~ Delvin & Sarah Choo, encountered in Singapore, April 2025
"I was enticed by the idea of a weekend away with my husband; one without interruptions that would let us spend some quality time together. True to my expectations, the UME Weekend was really awesome as my husband and I learnt more about each other and shared our feelings. We filled each other's love tank during that weekend and have learnt how to continuously do so."
~ Dadina & Adam Ong, encountered in Singapore, April 2016.
"The UME Weekend taught us how to communicate at a much deeper level. We believe that the Weekend was God-given and we strongly recommend couples invest in their marriage by attending it."
~ Tafline & Kelvin Sum, encountered in Singapore 2014
"It is during this UME weekend that my super unromantic husband said to me, 'I want to be your true north.' - a line from Message in A Bottle, a movie I dragged him to during our courtship days. Who is to know that years later, he can still remember this line and repeat it to me.
This weekend also gave us the chance to rekindle our romance and reminded me why I fell in love with this man years ago."
~ Pearlyn & Kum Chee, encountered in Shanghai, Feb 2014.
"We both strived for a perfect marriage; after the Weekend, we realized marriage could be beautifully imperfect."
~ Snow & Cheng Chen, encountered in Singapore, April 2012.
"We discovered much more about each other; our needs and wants. We also picked up many practical communication skills that we could apply in our daily lives."
~ Lynette & Terence Tan, encountered in Singapore, May 2011.
"The UME Weekend was the catalyst that brought about the healing of memories that had hampered the enjoyment of our marriage. It helped change the way we communicate with each other after 35 years of marriage." ~ Blossom & McDaniel Phillips, encountered in Singapore, May 2011.
"It was a breakthrough for our marriage; the first time we could truly share and feel each other's heartbeat, without fear but with trust."
~ Sarah & Schubert Foo, encountered in Singapore Nov 2010.
"We are a blended family and even though we have a good marriage, we have learnt and benefited from our Weekend. We are now more equipped to address sensitive family issues."
~ Michelle & Beng Hoe Chia, encountered in Singapore, Nov 2010.
"We attended the UME Weekend hoping for some romantic time together, away from our busy work and family commitments. It gave us the opportunity to explore infinite perspectives with regard to each other's feelings and emotions. We really enjoyed ourselves." ~ Hui Sann & Vincent Tan, encountered in JB, Malaysia, April 2009.
"The UME Weekend has touched our lives so much. What we've discovered during that amazing experience has continued to strengthen our marriage. After 40 years of marriage, we are still so very much in love... the UME way!"
~ Mary & Hung Chee Loh, encountered in Shanghai, Nov 2008.