Marriage

“Around November 2019 I joined CC. I was talking regularly with my mum about how it was going and she encouraged me to wave and chat with several people even just to make some more Christian friends. On December 17th I waved at a guy from Queensland, I had actually been avoiding anyone from Queensland originally as I lived in NSW and didn’t like the thought of moving. A few days later we began chatting and hit it off immediately…

“I would not have given Alex a second glance from his profile shot…” When Jane got in touch to let us know she had just celebrated 20 years of marriage to Alex, she was very honest about her first impressions! Now, with three teenaged children and lots of adventures between them, Jane is thankful she followed some friendly advice when she was single: “I would never have considered online dating but a friend convinced me and I am so glad I listened.” Here’s their story…

Before they connected on Christian Connection neither Ana or Nathan was looking for a long-distance relationship. But after making contact, they both felt the other was worth pursuing – and their lives changed forever! Here’s their story…

So, you’ve been dating someone for what you consider a good amount of time, and you really like them. You know that you would like to explore the possibility of marriage with them, but you’re worried about bringing it up, for fear of sounding too keen, or too pushy perhaps. Don’t panic, you’re not alone! The marriage conversation is one that any serious Christian relationship is likely to have at some point, but it can be difficult to know when to bring it up. So, when exactly you should you begin?

“Although we were both a little nervous, we could immediately see joy, kindness and love in each other…” When Anne Marjorie and Matthew first met on Christian Connection they didn’t know they’d be sending us their story and wedding photos a couple of years later! Read about their first date, a botanical gardens proposal and why they agree “having each other as our best friend is the best thing we’ve both had!!”

Before I met my husband, I was saving myself for someone special. My parents had told me to make a wise choice when choosing a life partner and instilled in me only to go out with someone who I could actually see a future with. I don’t think I really appreciated all that meant until now, five years on, and it’s interesting to reflect on things I wish I knew before I got married. I started thinking about new relationships and what advice I would give someone looking now for the best chance of a long-lasting relationship and marriage.

“Hello there. My name is Chloe and we met on Christian Connection. I’d like to share our story with you. My friend met her husband on the website as well. I am in my 30s, and had a free week with the website. I worked at a boarding hostel, in Dunedin. I came home one day to see who was on. Saw this breakdancer photo of Andrei, and we got chatting. I am a dancer and I loved the shot from the Oriental bay here in Wellington. I decided to give him a wave, well I didn’t just give him one wave I gave him 10. Just in case he didn’t get my first one.

Relationships, whether in the early ‘butterflies in the stomach’ phase, or twenty years down the line all require some effort to keep things exciting. Perhaps you’re just getting to know someone, and you don’t know if it will lead to your happily ever after, or you’re seeing someone exclusively and wondering how you can keep things ticking along nicely. Or you may be reading this and are just hoping for that someone to develop a spark with. Here are five fun tips on keeping the spark in a relationship.