Retired marriage counsellor Burt Bradbury said a sad reality of his work was that "so often" he encountered couples who were tying the knot for the wrong reasons and never should have married in the first place.
Speaking on Premier Christian Radio's News Hour programme, he said: "Pre-marriage counselling is vital. It is far better if they decide at that point that they are not made for each other.
"That is going to save a lot of heartache down the road."
New figures from the British Heart Foundation also reveal nearly a quarter of people don't usually kiss their loved ones goodbye, while nearly a third forget to say goodbye at all.
Reasons given in the BHF's poll - which is trying to highlight "the sudden devastation" of heart disease and the charity's life-saving research - include not having enough time or forgetting.
Talking about marriages based on false motivations, Burt Bradbury gave an example of a church-goer marrying someone because they were the only other suitable person of the opposite gender in their church.
He went on to say small gestures can help build a strong marriage, adding: "My wife loved, as a child, getting one of those sherbet dab (sweets).
"I would just get one - not every week but just occasionally - and I would give it to her and she would say 'Oh, thank you. I do appreciate that.' It didn't have to be an expensive thing."
You can listen to Burt Bradbury speaking with Premier's Alex Williams by clicking here.