Written by Candace on February 4, 2014 | 4 Comments

Be Affectionate
Make Marriage Happen

I couldn’t think of a better way to start off my year than with the Make Marriage Happen series that we’ve started on the blog.

I have received positive feedback from so many of you. Thank you! It’s definitely challenging me and stretching me in so many ways. But with all risks and hard work comes great rewards and my heart is definitely full. I hope the series encouraged you to find new ways to be more intentional in your relationship or marriage.

With February upon us, the month of love, I wanted to do something in line with that but tweak it a little bit. This is the theme for February – be affectionate. Please, do not wait until February 14 to show your affection to the one you love. And please do not let February be the only month you make the extra effort. Let’s find small and meaningful ways to express our love and affection on a consistent basis.

“Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives.” ~C. S. Lewis

Along with “fond attachment, devotion or love” dictionary.com defines affection as “the act of affecting; act of influencing.” That is what our expressed affection should do to those we love – it should affect them. I hope it brings them joy. And hopefully it should influence them to want to also express and share their love.

If you follow us on Instagram, I posted a picture of an “I love you” sign that Vitaliy surprised me with when I went to grab something off the printer. I was tired and overwhelmed, but this simple expression of his love for me completely affected me. I was smiling inside and out and it energized me. But it also influenced me. I had only moments earlier been allowing anger to build up in my heart. And then this small act of grace influenced me to want to love instead of judge.

I hope you’ll join us again this month in making marriage happen. We’d love to hear from you. We’ll be using #beaffectionate and #makemarriagehappen when sharing our ideas. Before you do anything, share this with a friend who may need some encouragement too because you’re not alone. Let’s do this together!

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Written by Candace on January 31, 2014 | 2 Comments

Justin & Jennifer
Wedding at
Westin St. Francis

Jennifer knocked on the door and walked straight into Justin’s life.

She had accompanied her best friend on a trip to New York City and Justin just so happened to be the roommate of the friend they were visiting. And it also just so happened that the two were a perfect pair. The end of the trip was only the beginning for Justin and Jennifer. They weren’t going to let the distance between New York and California keep them apart. In fact, it only brought them closer and made their love run deeper.

Justin and Jennifer were married at the Westin St. Francis at Union Square. It was a black tie wedding with an old San Francisco vibe, just the way they envisioned it. With their closest friends and family by their side, the two promised forever. Cheers and celebration followed the magical first kiss. And that was it, their forever had already begun as husband and wife.

Justin and Jennifer, your wedding day was full of excitement and beauty. Thank you for inviting us to play the special role as your wedding photographers. It was a pleasure to be a part of so many special memories – especially those incredible toasts from your family and friends. Vitaliy and I wish you a marriage filled with love and laughter! Congratulations!

You can also view our favorite memories from their day here – JUSTIN AND JENNIFER: THE HIGHLIGHTS.

We’d like to thank the wonderful team of vendors that helped make this day so perfect.

Venue: Westin St. Francis at Union Square

Coordinator: Lauren Schardt

DJ: DJ’s and MC’s

Florist: San Mateo Florist

Cake: Pretty Please Bakeshop

Dress: Anna Maier

Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Paper Goods: Signatures by Sarah

Officiant: Pastor Steve Schibsted

Photographers: Pictilio

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Written by Candace on January 29, 2014 | 5 Comments

Date Idea: Maintenance Nights

What a way to start off the new year! I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our Make Marriage Happen series with you so far. Thank you for all the encouraging feedback!

Today is our last post for January’s #beintentional challenge. And it only seemed right to save the very best for last. For this month, our hope was to encourage you to be intentional in your relationship or marriage. Don’t just hope that things will change or get better, you have to take steps, baby steps, towards making your marriage everything you want it to be. If you walk away with anything, walk away and apply what I’m going to share with you today.

For Vitaliy and I, having an unhappy marriage is not an option so we have to find ways to make it work. When you conquer one area in your relationship, don’t worry, another one will pop up that needs your attention. That’s just the way marriage is – bringing together two imperfect people will leave you with these kinds of results. This is how we do it in our relationship – maintenance nights.

Date nights can turn into maintenance nights. Sometimes you’ve had a hard week and the two of you just need a break from life, to go out, have some fun, laugh, kiss, in order to remind yourselves that you’re in this thing called life together. Other times you are each other’s reason for a bad week and in this case your date night likely needs to be turned into a maintenance night. You need to check in, have honest conversation, potentially cry, possibly forgive, get back on the same page, kiss, and go back out and conquer life…together. And to be honest, some of the best date nights include a little bit of fun and a little bit of honest communication, so it doesn’t have to be an either or situation.

In case communication is something you struggle with in your relationship, here are some questions to help you get started. Feel free to write one or two down and bring along for your next date night. Ask with vulnerability. Listen with love. And speak with respect. My hope and prayer is that this idea will change your relationship one step, one conversation, at a time.

And in case money is your reason for putting off date night, here’s one of our best date nights ever and it was under $3. It included laughter, tears, and a lot of honest communication.

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