Written by Candace on September 3, 2015 | 2 Comments

Lake Tahoe Wedding
Garrett & Kimberly

I am so excited to share Kim and Garrett’s beautiful Tahoe wedding with you today.

This was the first wedding we’ve had the pleasure of photographing in Tahoe and I hope it won’t be our last. I’m ready to go back now! In case you missed them, here are Kim and Garrett’s engagement photos, along with a little story of how they first met.

As you can see, Tahoe and the West Shore Cafe were stunning backdrops for Kim and Garrett’s California wedding. But there was actually one small memory that comes to mind when I think back to their wedding. During their ceremony, Kim and Garrett tied their wedding rings on a ribbon and passed them onto their wedding guests who then sent them along aisle to aisle making sure each person had a moment with the rings. As someone who is very passionate about marriage, I felt like this was hugely symbolic of the reality of marriage – we need encouragement from those around us! Every couple needs the love and support from the people who surround them. That’s what each person was giving Kim and Garrett as they touched and passed the rings, and I hope it will be a reminder to all of their friends and family to continue to love and nurture this sweet couple for all the years to come.

Kim and Garrett, you know how crazy we are about you guys and your families! From photographing Amy and Larry’s wedding, to now getting to document yours, we are so thankful to have had the honor and pleasure of photographing and being a part of two such important events in your family’s lives. Thank you, thank you! We cherish these memories with you all! Congratulations again! We wish you guys a marriage filled with love and laughter!

Many thanks to the team for bringing this wedding to life…

Designer/Coordinator: Merrily Wed

Ceremony/Reception: West Shore Cafe

Dress: Martina Liana from Janene’s Bridal

Shoes: Toms

Tux: Men’s Warehouse

Makeup: Kiss & MakeUp

Hair: Salon Bella Vita

Cake: West Shore Cafe

Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas

Florist: B & B Designs

Rentals: Celebrations

Linens and Catering: West Shore Cafe

Ceremony Music: The String Beings

Reception Music: Love Fool

Shuttle: Reno Tahoe Limosene Service

Photobooth: The Traveling Photo Booth

Photographers: Pictilio

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Written by Candace on September 1, 2015 | 3 Comments

20 Creative Date Night Ideas

This is the third part of a three part series to get us thinking differently about date night.

I began this series because I think we need to focus not on what we’re doing for date night but why we’re doing it. It’s less about the activity and more about the connection the activity helps bring about. As I mentioned in a previous post, date night as boyfriend and girlfriend is about getting to know each other and developing your relationship. Date night in marriage is about cultivating and deepening your relationship.

You can read the first part here and the second part here. Today I want to give you 20 Date Night Ideas that you may not have thought of as “date night” material, but are all great ways to invest in your relationship. I hope these help! We’ve enjoyed some ourselves and are looking to others for the future.

Go to marriage counseling and grab coffee after to discuss.
Go for a day or overnight trip away from all of your daily responsibilities. A secret rendezvous!
Take a financial class together.
Read or listen to a marriage book together.
Maybe life is just hard and you just need a good laugh together.
Spend a night praying together.
If you aren’t having date night, spend an evening discussing why and making a plan together.
Buy two sets of power sheets and do them together each month. We do!
Enjoy a dinner, each asking the question, how can I better love or serve you this week?
Take a night to look at each others calendars and see what needs to be canceled so you have more time together.
If childcare is a constant issue, invest an evening finding or training a new babysitter.
Try new things! Do something your spouse loves one week, and then something you love the next week.
If rest is what you need, take a nap together.
Get together with another family and discuss the idea of a date night swap. One couple watches all the kids one week, and then swap the next week.
New to a city and feeling homesick, go play tourist together and grow to love your new hometown together.
Find a mentor couple and go on a double date. Feel free to ask them to share some wisdom!
Redo an older tradition or maybe your first date to conjure up some of those earlier feelings and fond memories of each other.
Has a messy home or bedroom been causing conflict? Spend a night tidying things up to bring some order and, consequently, peace into the home and heart.
Drop the kids to a babysitter and then go back home to spend some time in the bedroom together.
Plan a maintenance night.

What do you do to invest in your relationship? Ideas are always welcome! Please leave me a note in the comments. And if you know someone who might need some new ideas, please pass this post along!

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Written by Candace on August 28, 2015 | 1 Comment

The Weekender

Here’s a collection of my thoughts and findings from the week. Wishing you all a restful and fun-filled weekend!

Stephen Colbert: Any Colbert fans out there? I was a fan already, but now I’m an even bigger one after reading this article. People’s suffering is sacred, he says. Yes!!! Yes it is! We’ve learned this ourselves. And there are so many people who I love that are going through difficult times that I pray and hope one day know, feel and believe this too. It took me seven years after the deaths of Vitaliy’s parents and brother to understand this and, as Colbert puts it, be thankful for the very thing I wish never happened.

The Best Burger in SF: I cannot believe what a big hit our search for the best burger has been. I had two friends send me “Best Burger in SF” lists this week, here and here. We clearly need to hunker down and do our final taste tests. There are way too many options! I think we’re going to need to narrow them down to around 6, test and call it a day. I won’t be able to fit in my clothes if we were to really try all of the options!

Humans of New York: My friend Joanna introduced me to Humans of New York this week. At first I was thankful, but then as I started reading through some of the stories I wasn’t sure I was so thankful. Some are so painful! But this is the reality of the world we live in and I don’t want to turn a blind eye. Go follow! The pictures and, most importantly, the stories are full of life and light and darkness and hope. Enjoy! And you can thank or maybe not thank me later.

Date Night: While an official date night didn’t happen this week, I did surprise Vitaliy with a spontaneous family outing to the city last night. I plan on celebrating one-on-one with him on Monday for his actual birthday, but I wanted us to celebrate as a family too. He loves being outdoors and picnics have become one of our new favorite activities. So we packed up the car, made sure to bring Rose’s pajamas with us since we’d be staying out past her bedtime (she didn’t seem to mind!) and picked up wine + a cheese/meat platter upon arrival at AG Ferrari Italian Foods. It was a very hot day yesterday so a picnic at Yerba Buena Gardens was the perfect way for Vitaliy to relax after an extremely demanding week. He loved it! And so did Rose and I!

Cheerleaders: My mom leaves a comment on every single one of my blog posts even if it’s a topic that may not speak to her directly. This week as I read each comment, it tugged at my heart strings. I know it’s her little way of letting me know that she’s still following along…still supporting my dreams. And this week, I needed some encouragement from my #1 cheerleader. Running your own business is hard. And this is a hard season for our business. Being pregnant and then having Rose, we weren’t able to invest in the business like we normally do. We had just enough time, energy, and drive to take care of our current clients. And the business took a hit for it! On the one hand, I’m thankful for the slower season as it gives me more time with Rose. But as a business owner, it’s always a bit nerve wracking. So, thank you mom for your sweet and subtle nudge this week! I hope I can be the kind of cheerleader for Rose and her dreams the way you have always been for me.

Photo: Selfie shenanigans at the park last night!

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