If you’ve been around a while, you may have seen our Marriage Monday blog posts. This is something that started as a desire to share more about our own marriage and things we are learning. It turned into a desire to pour into other marriages!

We are passionate about photographing couples and weddings, of course. But we care even more about thriving marriages. We are here for our brides and grooms beyond the wedding day and we are cheering for your marriage! That’s why we have decided to start a blog series in an interview format this year called Marriage Stories. We will post every other week on Marriage Monday with an interview from couples that we look up to as well as our recent wedding clients. We will still be writing and sharing every other week about our own marriage too. 

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How long have you been married?

3 years- December 2015

Tell us your love story! How did you meet?

Richie and I knew of each other through church events and mutual friends, but it was not until Richie saw me on Facebook and reached out that we officially met. It was the summer before my junior year of high school and it was about to be Richie’s senior year. We talked for a while and spent some time together that summer and officially started dating in August.

What’s your favorite memory from your wedding day?

My favorite memory from our wedding day goes back to our rehearsal dinner. Two of my bridesmaids gave Richie and I deposable cameras the night before the wedding. I had seen this idea and loved it because we could both take pictures of our mornings as we got ready. We could take pictures from our point of view, things we wanted to remember, things we wanted to share with each other later on and then we could get them developed and show each other. It became a fun thing throughout the whole day, really because of Richie. We didn’t do a first look, but we did get together and pray before the ceremony and he was sneaky and got a picture of me. He continued to do that in different ways throughout our whole day and it was so funny to me. (Side note- we got them developed and the pictures were NOT good, so great idea, but maybe just stick your phone or another camera.)

What has been the most surprising thing about marriage?

I think the most surprising thing has been how you constantly have to work toward the marriage you want to have. I assumed because Richie and I loved each other very deeply that once we got married all the hard work would be over. Dating was so fun, but it there were also some difficult times of arguing, selfish thoughts and just continuing to learn new things about each other. I assumed that once we were married that all the hard work was behind us. Marriage takes a lot of intentional time together, hard conversations and selfless love that when done right and enough creates a beautiful relationship together.

What has been the biggest adjustment/challenge in marriage?

I believe our biggest challenge in marriage is not isolating ourselves. This was especially true for us as newly weds and is still true as we face busy seasons. When we get very busy we want to treasure every moment we get together at home and while that is a good thing, it can become a challenge. Community is essential to who we are as people and even as a couple, so we quickly learned that we have to push ourselves and each other to hang out with friends and other couples, even in the busy times or when it is not the most convenient.

What has been your favorite part of being married?

My favorite part of being married is the support Richie and I share for each other. We are both creative people and it seems like we always have a new dream or idea to share with each other and feeling an unending support from another person is so sweet. I cherish it when Richie shares ideas with me or even something new God is teaching him and love feeling of support from him when I do the same.

What’s your best piece of advice for newlyweds?

Fight the urge to become just roommates. Schedule date nights weekly and ask each other intentional questions to see how you are growing and how God is working in your life. Try to turn the mundane things that have to get done into fun things, there is always a reason to celebrate!