Hamilton who spoke on the topic, In Due Season listed the following as the stages which lead to marriage.
1. Friendship Stage: He advised that one should be free to have as many friend from the opposite sex. In his words, "have a large pool of friend." He cautioned that singles should choose the type of friends they want.
3. Courtship: He said this is the stage where one has decided to choose whom to marriage among those he or she has dated. He advised the female ones to practice the virtues in Proverbs 31: 10-31 if they really want to move out of the dating stage.
4. Wedding: Hamilton stated that for this to take place, one need parental authority, legal authority and authority from the Church. He advised intending couples not to focus more on the wedding which is a one day event.
5. Marriage: According to Hamilton, marriage involves a lot of investments and prayer. He advised couples against finding faults in their spouses, because neither of them is perfect.