Weddingguide


	OUR COVER GIRL
	Corina Hollister

	Where did you go to school and where did you study?
	I attended Westville Girls’ High School. For my tertiary education I did a one-
	year course at the Christian Bible Institute and thereafter I completed my
	Honours in International Marketing & Management through the International
	Marketing & Management Graduate School of Marketing.

	What is the most important thing in your life?
	The most important thing in my life is my faith in Jesus Christ. I would not be
	who I am today without my personal relationship with Him. Next, without a
	doubt, it is my gorgeous husband – he is my everything and my greatest gift
	from God. He is the one person who loves me unconditionally and who
	always encourages me to reach after the dreams and desires God has placed
	within me.

	My family are the next most important in the group of people who are most
	meaningful to me: without my parents and my brother I would be a lesser
	person. They are the ones who have helped to guide and mould me into the
	woman I am today. Their loving wisdom and continual love and
	encouragement help me to strive towards God’s best for me. They are the
	ones who have helped me to become the bride I needed to be in order to
	become the wife I am today.

	My friends are very important to me as well. I have a motto in life: “Friends
	love at all times.” And because of that, I value my friendships dearly and
	always do my utmost to be a true friend in all that I do.
	My greatest desire in life is to have a positive impact on the generation in
	which I live, and because of that I attempt to align all I do to affect people’s
	lives in the best way I know, so that it can reflect God’s glory.

	What do you enjoy most?
	What I enjoy most about life is people. We were created to have relationships;
	and I endeavour to have true and real relationships with people. I enjoy
	serving and helping and even going the extra mile for people, so that they
	know that they are valued. I love sharing my life – I am an open book, which
	allows pretty much anyone to read me, and I know no other way to be. I enjoy
	that because I find that it touches people. I enjoy having fun with my family
	and friends and I love to laugh. I love to share in other people’s joys and
	especially their special occasions. So I try to help wherever I can to make that
	day even more special than they could ever dream possible (you’d be
	surprised at how easy it is to make someone else’s occasion extra special …
	all it takes is just a few selfless acts).

	What annoys you most?
	Selfish and self-absorbed people are my biggest frustration in life. I find it
	hard to see how very few people will go out of their way to assist a family
	member, a friend or any other fellow human being, even if it will only cost
	them some slight inconvenience or a tiny bit out time of their day. It frustrates
	and saddens me, because giving a little of your time or effort to someone else
	can only bless you and benefit you even more than the person you help.
	A close second would have to be negative people or negative attitudes. If
	only we could open our eyes and look at the beauty of creation around us and
	stop looking only inward and complaining about what we don’t like, and
	instead look at ways to make life better for someone else who is less fortunate
	than ourselves, I guarantee that more people would become positive and
	encourage others to make a difference in the world. And then we would see
	how beautiful life can be!

	Whom do you admire and why?
	This is a hard question to answer! I would have to say that my mom is the first
	person I admire, because she has been my biggest example of a selfless
	person, someone who will go out of her way to help or serve people,
	irrespective of the cost to her. I have seen the evidence and the benefits of
	how these characteristics have worked out in her marriage. I try to model my
	marriage on her example.





	I also admire my grandfather, because his whole life was devoted to giving to
	others. He did not have lavish amounts of money to give or bless people with,
	but he gave of all that he had – he gave his time and personal effort. He
	gave us one of the best lessons in life – you can touch people’s hearts more
	deeply by giving your time and effort.

	What characteristics make your husband special?
	My husband has very many special traits. For me, his most special
	characteristic is his faith in God. He puts God first in everything (even before
	me) and trusts God implicitly to lead us and guide us in all we do. And
	because of his complete reliance on God first, I know that we will know only
	God’s blessings in our lives and marriage.

	My husband is my best friend, he knows just how to be a true friend – he
	always has. He pursued me for a long time and even when I was not
	interested in him yet, he knew just what to do to respect my feelings and yet
	be a true friend all at the same time. And because of this, he sometimes
	knows me better than I know myself – a quality I truly admire in him.
	He also has the ability to know exactly how I am feeling by taking just one
	look at me. Because of that he knows just how to pick me up when I am
	feeling down; and most of all he knows just what to do to make me laugh at
	myself. He will always make me look for the good in every situation.
	My husband has the kindest, gentlest and most generous heart. He always
	makes every person he comes into contact with feel special and important,
	even if it’s just by saying hello to someone everyone else ignores. He will go
	out of his way to help ANYONE. If he sees someone in need, he will not only
	try and meet the person’s immediate need but will try to think of a way to help
	that person to alleviate the problem in the long term (often at great cost and
	at the expense of his time).

	His other amazing characteristic for me is the way he looks at me … it’s a look
	that still makes me shy, because it says: “I love you now and always and more
	right now than I loved you yesterday.” This characteristic warms my heart
	every day and makes me fall in love with him again every single day.

	What do you think makes a marriage work?
	I think a realization and understanding of the covenant made between a man
	and wife at the altar on the day they commit their lives one to another should
	always be at the forefront of every husband’s and wife’s mind. This should go
	a long way toward reminding people of the reasons they got married, as well
	as of the commitment they made to each other – it should never be entered
	into lightly.

	Another important element that I feel makes a marriage work is Agape love.
	This kind of love is a selfless love. It requires putting your spouse’s needs
	above your own in every aspect of your marriage. In doing so you create an
	environment of complete contentment and appreciation for your spouse, and
	in return that person will be willing to return love to you in a selfless way.
	Friendship is also a VERY important aspect in a marriage. It’s what keeps you
	having fun together and is the vehicle for creating companionship. Friendship
	is the place in which you create intimacy as you share and care for one
	another.

	Communication is another important aspect of marriage. Open and honest
	communication is vitally important. Often we expect our spouses to know
	exactly how we feel about everything … and it is physically impossible for
	them to do so. That is why it is important not only to communicate about your
	daily activities, but also about your hopes and dreams. Never forget to
	communicate how much you love one another. When you go to bed at night
	or leave each other every morning before work or at any time when you go in
	different directions, always be sure that you have left nothing unresolved
	between you, because life is too short, and you never know when the last time
	you say goodbye is the last goodbye you will get this side of heaven.