Our Not-So-Ordinary Love Story Pt.5

The final post of my mini series on our love story is finally here! At the end of part 4 I mentioned that this last post would be a team effort between Micah and I on the wedding festivities as well as what we've learned in our first year of marriage. Sorry it's obviously taken longer than a week to complete this last post. Getting both of us to sit down for longer than 30 mins is nearly impossible since I've started my new jobs. We're going to map out this post in an "interview style" simply so you guys can get a clear understanding from both of us without it being confusing or repetitive. So, without further ado, we present the last and final post from our not-so-ordinary love story...

Wedding Lessons:

Q: Being that you only had 4 months to plan, pay and coordinate a wedding, what were the first steps you guys took to making it happen?

Micah: One of the first things Pam and I did was sit down and create a budget. Even though we were getting married young, fast and a couple months before making the biggest move of our life across country, we still wanted a real wedding that was all Pam had dreamed of her entire life. We knew what we had to spend so now we just had to put priorities in place. 

Pam: Yeah, we had to make so many lists to figure out what were the "must haves" and the "would like to haves". Something's we were willing to spend a pretty penny on and somethings we decided to create ourselves, borrow or even cut out completely. Our budget for everything (and I mean everything) was $3,000 at the most. Some laughed that we made such an "unrealistic budget" but it was literally all we had (or hardly had) to spend. So I'd say budgeting, prioritizing and compromising were some of the first things we did.  

Q: What was the hardest thing about wedding planning considering your age, financial situation and time limit?

Micah: Honestly, for me, one of the hardest things was hearing everyone's opinions on what they thought we should do. Pam and I had always talked about straying away from the traditional wedding style so when it came down to planning and such, we got a lot of "that's not how you're supposed to do this" and stuff.

Pam: I would definitely agree with Micah. As much as we love our parents, we finally had to have "the talk" with them about letting us do our own thing. They were just trying to help so no hard feelings. :) But other than that, I think for me one of the hardest parts was delegating. Because of our budget we had to create most of the decor in our ceremony and reception. I'm a freak when it comes to style, design, colors and everything so trying to give a task to someone with hopes they'll execute what was in my mind was flipping exhausting. Of course the closer it got to the wedding day I became a lot less OCD and control-freaky and just let whatever happened happen. It all worked out the way it had to. 

Q: What is some advice you would give on wedding planning to a newly engaged couple based on the experiences you guys had leading up to your wedding day?

Micah: It's not so much about the way your wedding looks on your wedding day, it's more about how you feel. So, wear what you want, decorate it with the things you personally like, don't worry if people don't agree with the way you've done your wedding and don't feel like you have to follow tradition because when you look back on the wedding day you won't remember all the small details, you'll just remember how you felt so just make sure you're as comfortable as possible. 

Pam: On top of that I would definitely encourage you to remember that money should never be an issue. You don't have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to have a beautiful wedding. I think sometimes in wedding planning it's easy to loose sight of why you're planning the wedding in the first place. So just keep your mind fixed on the right things and you'll go through the process A LOT easier. 

Married Life in the First Year:

Q: So, what's been the highlight of your first year of marriage? 

Micah: The sex. 

Pam: Wow! Haha! Anywho, I'd say for me it's been having your best friend over for slumber parties every night. It's like middle school when you wanted to have sleepovers on a school night and your mom would say "not on a school night" except you're mom isn't there to tell you "not on a school night". It's the best. It's like always having a side-kick 24-7.

Q: How has living in Australia been being that you had only been married 2 months before moving?

Micah: It's great! I think it really strengthened us as a couple in the sense of relying on each other instead of our friends and family. 

Pam: Again, totally agree with Micah. I think the most challenging part for us specifically is living with people. You have to learn to not only live with your spouse so shortly after getting married but now you have 5 other housemates to learn to live with as well. Privacy is something you treasure when you can get it but it's definitely a season we're thankful for because we've been poured into by some amazing and wise couples in this year for sure. 

Q: What's some of the best advice you have been given in your first year of marriage that has helped you the most?

Micah: I remember being told to understand that in marriage, especially in the first couple years, it's normal and healthy to fight/argue to an extent. It's all part of growing together into one person and it helps you learn how to live with someone else.  

Pam: For me it's been to always make time for romance. Being in Australia on a tight budget with chaotic schedules and in a house full of other people can sometimes make the "romance factor" fly right out the door. In America in our own house, we could easily plan a candle lit dinner with the record player in the background but here it's not that simple. You have to be intentional with keeping the flame burnin'. Haha. Whether that looks like having a fund in your budget for dates, taking a day off from work to spend laying in bed watching Netflix movies all day or even just going out to dinner to spend time with each other without your housemates around, it's all about being intentional with your romance.