Written by Candace on February 12, 2014 | 2 Comments

Valentine’s Day Dinner Party

In case you’ve forgotten, this Friday is Valentine’s Day. If you haven’t made plans yet, it’s never too late!

Vitaliy and I used to not like Valentine’s Day. We always thought it was unromantic to be told to be romantic. You know what I mean? However, the past few years we’ve grown to liking it because we found good ways to give it purpose. Any excuse to share and spread love sounds like a good idea to me. But it needs to be authentic and meaningful which is precisely why I love this Valentine’s Day Dinner Party from Delighted Magazine.

Here’s the scoop! Grab one or two other couples. I’d recommend keeping it small so it’s more intimate. And don’t feel the need to do anything over the top. All of the details Mandy uses in her dinner party are easy and approachable. If you don’t have time to cook a big meal, grab store bought or take-out. This night is not about impressing, it’s about connecting. Write out fun get-to-know-each-other questions on hearts to keep the conversation going and geared around celebrating love. For example, have each couple share the story of how they met. You’ll get to know your friends better while also being reminded why you fell in love with your spouse or significant other in the first place.

To see more photos, get more details, and the recipe for the bubbly drink you see here, be sure to check out the latest issue of Delighted Magazine.

Sharing your love story with others is a great way to show affection for the person you love. Give it a try!

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Written by Candace on February 5, 2014 | 3 Comments

Featured
Delighted Magazine

I cannot believe the amount of writing I’ve been doing lately, but I’m loving every minute of it.

I first discovered I enjoyed writing while I was in Ukraine after the accident. I would send home emails to friends and family giving them updates and asking them for specific prayers. People often replied sending their love and they would mention my writing. I suppose that’s how it all started. Something else good that came out of the bad. Thank you, Lord.

Just this morning I submitted a condensed version of my faith story to Lara Casey who is looking for stories for a book she is writing. I tried to keep it concise, but that is one thing I’m not so great at – keeping things short, cutting out the unnecessary. I’m learning though. Whether or not my story is chosen for the book, I am thankful to have gone through the process of writing my story. That was one of my goals for this year and now I can already check that off my list. If you have a step-of-faith story you’d like to share, go here. Lara is accepting submissions until Friday.

I also had the pleasure of doing a fun interview with Delighted Magazine a few weeks ago. We share all kinds of details I’ve never shared before and you can see some pictures of our little office space. One of the questions we answer is, what do you love most about being a part of the wedding industry? I told a sweet story about a wedding coordinator I know, Rhi from Hey Gorgeous Events, who both surprised and inspired me with the way she serves her clients. I had to give her a shout out here too because she’s incredible. If you are getting married, check her out, you will be in good hands. I got very personal in this interview so I hope you enjoy getting to know us better.

You can read our interview and all kinds of other goodies in Delighted’s latest issue here: DELIGHTED MAGAZINE: WINTER 2014

And big thanks to Mandy for including our photo on the cover!

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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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