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Nicoletta Daskalakis

@nicolettadaskalakis

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👩‍💼Owner & Designer of @bridesandhairpins
Wife, Mama, Entrepreneur, Designer, Believer

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Today is Greek Easter. I remember when we were living in Greece for the year during covid, and my kids were so excited to go to church to celebrate Easter. The year before that in California, our church had the Easter Bunny and they did Easter egg hunts with their friends. Everything was pretty and sweet. I didn't know how to tell them that this particular Easter in Crete would be very different. At the end of the service on Saturday night at midnight, the locals hung a human sized Judas doll by his neck from a building, and lit him up and he was burning in flames while everyone was shooting their guns in the air in celebration and screaming Xristos Anesti over the entire island. My son was a crying mess, but we definitely got to have a different Easter that year and it was my favorite :)

I would be an empty shell if it wasn't for my faith. Who would I cry out to? Who would I lean on for everything? Having a relationship with Jesus has transformed my life. To know that it's not about me. To know that this journey is not a lonely one. To have conviction that this life is completely for a purpose and for me it's all about seeking his face daily... hourly. This life is painful and hard, but we have God. We are not alone. The Christian faith is an interesting one, and our small human brains cannot even understand it fully. What we believe in is completely weird but if you are hungry for more and desperate to know the truth and you seek it with all your heart you will find a knowingness that you cannot explain in words. Your friends, your spouse, your kids or your parents. Nobody knows you the way God does. How precious to see yourself from his perspective. Watching the news and reading everything that's going on now and the pain people are going through is very real, it's the sole reason we have to reach out and desire so much more. Because of this powerful faith, our only job is to love everyone, not just people we are comfortable to be around. Just love others without opinions, without judgement and love with the heart of Jesus. Sending you all love. Nicoletta xo by @nicolettadaskalakis

This season, my heart is full. Thankful for family, close and extended, and for the grace of each new day to grow and become more humble. Christmas is about love and memories, yes—but most of all, it’s about seeking God’s heart and knowing we are loved by Him by @nicolettadaskalakis

The Battle of Crete: A Land That Remembers

Today I stood in a small war museum near Sfakia, but it felt like I had walked straight into 1941. The Battle of Crete wasn’t just fought with guns and bombs—it was fought with spirit, raw courage, and a deep love for freedom. I think of my yiayia as a young girl and the people she loved.

Surrounded by the ghosts of history, I saw German pilot jackets still stained with time, bullets that had once pierced silence, and passports of soldiers from every corner—Greek, English, German, Dutch, Italian—each carrying a name, a story, a heartbeat. There were gas masks, medical kits, rusted motorbikes, even a chocolate tin left behind in the chaos of war.

There were sewing machines that stitched torn uniforms and perhaps saved lives. Bicycles that once rolled over the hills of Crete, dodging air raids. And newspapers from 1939, frozen in ink, shouting the headlines of a world unraveling.

Crete didn’t surrender easily. When the paratroopers came from the skies, the people fought back—with whatever they had. Farmers with pitchforks, women with knives, priests with rifles, children with bravery far beyond their years. The land itself rebelled.

This island holds memory like no other. It breathes history into you. And as I walked through that museum, I felt it: the weight of sacrifice, the depth of pain, but also the power of resilience. by @nicolettadaskalakis

Crete is a full-body reset.
Here, every sense wakes up — the salty kiss of the sea breeze, the scent of herbs in the air, the sound of chickens crowing and church bells echoing through our village.

We eat like kings — fresh, nourishing, simple food that tastes like love. I wake with the sun, toes in the sand, tzitzikia singing their afternoon love song.

We chase magic with our kids — winding roads that lead us to hidden beaches, just us and the turquoise sea.

Crete isn’t just a place. It’s a cleanse — mind, body, and spirit.
It reminds me what really matters. 🌿✨🇬🇷 by @nicolettadaskalakis

Home. Time to heal. by @nicolettadaskalakis

Life is but a breath. Take the pictures. Get the dogs. Go on the bike rides. Sit in a field with bluebonnets. Do what you can in the small moments because they leave so quickly and easily.

📸 @alina.leksi by @nicolettadaskalakis

Crete for me is where my mind, body and spirit feels cleansed, nourished, restored and replenished. I now miss my parents, sisters, cousins, aunt, uncle and nephew. For those who have family scattered all over the world what a blessing it is to plan to be together but how hard it is so always live apart and not share day-to-day life. I'm so thankful from the bottom of my heart to my family! #summer2024 #crete #greece by @nicolettadaskalakis

Dreaming of souvlakia, psarakia, xoriatiki, and brizola. by @nicolettadaskalakis

We spend our days swimming and watching the sunsets. Not a day goes by where I don't appreciate this gift. This life is about a collection of moments for sharing and giving love. by @nicolettadaskalakis

Soon we celebrate 18 years together! Coming back to the place where it all began. Love being in the chaos of life with you. by @nicolettadaskalakis

Time with those you love is a gift. It's not always given and it's often not truly appreciated in that moment. I've spent precious time recently with people I love, aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, parents, and friends who are family to me and I am truly so grateful. With all the crazy that's going on in our world it's these tender moments that matter. This life is just a breath, a wind that passes. So thankful for this time, I will never ever take it for granted. by @nicolettadaskalakis

Healing, replenishing and soul cleansing. I love hidden coves away from people and noise. Maybe it's a mom thing or just a getting older thing :) by @nicolettadaskalakis