Written by Candace on May 16, 2014 | Chime in

Classic Wedding at Nestldown

I’m often asked to describe my ideal client. Though we do have a description of our ideal client, I don’t usually share the list when asked this question because there is one item on the list that’s really the core.

The top thing we look for when meeting potential clients is if we could see ourselves developing a friendship with them over the course of planning and photographing their wedding. This is by far the most important thing we look for during a client meeting. The service we provide requires trust and vulnerability from both sides. And on top of that, we like to have a lot of fun when we work. These are all foundational for cultivating a friendship so we look for these in our client meeting process.

I have Caitlin from Caitlin Arnold Weddings and Events to thank for our client-friends, Nikki and Gabe. One of the most valuable things a wedding planner provides their client is matching them with the ideal vendors to fit their wedding aesthetic, as well as, their personalities. The first time we met Nikki and Gabe we knew they were the perfect fit for Pictilio, a true match made in heaven. And it’s all thanks to Caitlin’s killer matching skills!

Nikki and Gabe, where do I even begin with you two? You have hearts of gold! I loved getting to enjoy your sweet and fun personalities at every meeting, in every email, or during our occasional double dates. We will forever remember your engagement session in the snowy mountains of Park City, Utah. And the unforgettable moments of your fairytale wedding at Nestldown will forever be etched in both our hearts and minds. I cannot wait to celebrate your SMP feature with you on Sunday! Congratulations! I hope your wedding and your story will encourage and inspire other couples planning their upcoming weddings.

You can find Nikki and Gabe’s classic wedding among the trees at Nestldown on Style Me Pretty. A big thank you to Style Me Pretty for all the love! You guys always take such good care of us.

If you’d like to see other weddings we’ve had the pleasure of being featured on SMP, you can find a stunning backyard wedding and a rustic winter wedding.

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Written by Candace on May 15, 2014 | Chime in

Date Night Celebrations

I recently came across a few blog posts in my “drafts” that I never ended up sharing. As I reread this one, I wondered why it never made it to the blog. I resonated with it even now so I thought I’d go ahead and share it…

Last Saturday, Vitaliy and I decided to devote the evening to celebrating the end of the 2013 wedding season.

I find it so important to take time to reflect. To share areas that need improvement. And toast to the areas you are most thankful for. Vitaliy and I spend date nights going out to eat all the time. I know a lot of you do too. It’s easy. But this dinner was so different. Vitaliy kept saying on the way home what a great time he had. I felt the same.

But what made this dinner so much more memorable and enjoyable? It was intentional.

We had a goal in mind for the dinner. We wanted to reflect on the wedding season, on our business, to reminisce. In order to do this, we were very intentional about the questions we asked each other to spur our memories. We talked and toasted, we laughed and almost cried, we love and listened. We didn’t just let the conversation wonder wherever. And lastly, we spent a good chunk of the time celebrating. Keeping the conversation on a positive note makes the world of a difference at the end of the night. You return home filled up and hopeful.

For your next dinner date night, be a little more intentional about your conversation and I promise it will go a long way. Life is hard; spend time celebrating even the smallest accomplishments together.

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Written by Candace on May 6, 2014 | Chime in

Forgiveness
The Recap

Before we move onto May’s theme for the Making Marriage Happen series, I thought I’d share a few more thoughts about forgiveness I had hoped to elaborate on but didn’t get to this month. If you’re new here, you can find my original post on forgiveness here.

These are just a few of the things I’ve learned about forgiveness in my own marriage.

Try not to get hung up on the words “I’m sorry.” Early in our marriage I used to get upset with the way Vitaliy would express an apology. Isn’t that funny? While trying to reconcile, I’d get all upset again because he didn’t apologize using the specific words, “I’m sorry.” He couldn’t understand why I didn’t see that he was trying to apologize and I couldn’t understand how an apology wouldn’t include the words “I’m sorry.” After 7 years of marriage, we are now better at understanding each other and there’s definitely a stronger level of trust.
Do not let unforgiveness hold you back from giving or receiving love. Unforgiveness will inevitably lead to bitterness. Sometimes we have unforgiveness towards ourselves, our spouse, or someone else that ends up having a negative effect on your marriage relationship. Do not allow that in your relationship. Choose forgiveness! Get healing help, if needed. This will free you up to give and receive love which will inevitably lead to joy.
Forgiveness requires humility. And let’s be honest, humility hurts which is why we don’t want anything to do with it. But to give or receive forgiveness requires humility. There was a day this week I had to apologize multiple times in the same day. It was humiliating! Forgiveness is never easy. Whether Vitaliy or myself is needing to forgive or be forgiven, the alternative of being separated from each other is just not worth holding on to our pride. We’d rather be enjoying each other! (Like running and laughing in the rain together! See photo.)

Those are just a few lessons I’ve been learning the last few months. I hope they help in some way. Like I said, forgiveness is not easy, but it’s oh so worth it! Let’s choose forgiveness and make marriage happen.

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