Duchess of Cambridge's sister Pippa and her fiancé attend Christian pre-marital counselling with a vicar ahead of wedding

Pippa Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge's sister, and her fiancé James Matthews have been attending Christian pre-marriage counseling sessions as they prepare for their upcoming wedding this May.

Middleton and her hedge fund manager groom-to-be recently sat down with Rev. Nick Jones, the vicar of St. Mark's Church in England, and his wife Harriet for a series of pre-marital sessions meant to help strengthen their upcoming marriage.

Jones will also minister the sacrament of matrimony to the couple, according to Premier.

While such pre-marital sessions are not compulsory, Middleton's mother, Carole, advised the couple to attend the meetings.

According to the Church of England's official website, the sessions are designed to give couples "an opportunity to think through possible areas of difficulty" and a guide on how to handle them together.

The church understood that a couple seeking marriage remain as "separate individuals" with differences in upbringing, desires and dreams. The course is designed to address these and the couple's expectations of married life.

Among the things the couple discussed during the sessions were money, in-laws and family issues, children, communication, sex, and dealing with conflict.

An unnamed source told The Daily Mail that the couple are excited to have children.

"Starting a family is high on their list of priorities and both were really engaging when Nick and Harriet's grandchildren, who were at the house, interrupted them," the source said.

Meanwhile, there is no word on whether the couple have drawn up a pre-nuptial agreement.

Matthews has found success in hedge funds and owns a £17 million mansion.

Middleton and Matthews are set to tie the knot on May 20. Expected to be in attendance are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry together with his actress girlfriend, Meghan Markle.

Middleton's nephew, Prince George, and niece, Princess Charlotte, will also be part of the wedding entourage as page boy and bridesmaid, respectively.

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