“…if they give a promise and become engaged – and it’s good if the duration of the engagement is not overly extended – he should try during the period of engagement to see his fiancee as a sister and respect her. If they both struggle, with philotimo [Christ-life attitude], to preserve their virginity, then at the Sacrament of Marriage, when they are crowned by the priest, they will receive an abundance of the Grace of God.”
(St. Paisios in ‘Family Life’)