The Happy Bloom beautifully captured the everyday moments between a husband and wife in their home. We love how the details capture the couple’s cherished and irreplaceable love. Here is what Justin and Amanda had to say about this special Valentine’s morning at home:

We were able to catch up with Christine and David who turned from clients to great friends. We shot the couple’s wedding this past summer and we consider ourselves so lucky to now call them great friends. A lot has happened since their warm July wedding. The two started building a brand new house. And now they are having a baby! To document this precious time in their lives, we asked them if we could stop by one morning to see them in their element. The cute couple munched on honey drizzled biscotti from Two Smart Cookies as they exchanged early Valentine’s Day Cards that they had picked up from Savannah treasure The Paris Market. We couldn’t have asked for a more precious experience!

From Christine: 

Describe your first year of marriage. David and I got married last summer in Savannah, GA. It’s been seven months. Holy cow! Part of me feels like we’ve been married for three decades and part of me feels like it was just yesterday when we were “whipping” and “nae-nae-ing” at our wedding. This past seven months have been a wild ride for us. We had a beautiful wedding and jumped on a plane the next morning for our honeymoon. We went on the most amazing honeymoon to Thailand where we rode elephants through the jungle, pet some tigers, bungee jumped, and snorkeled on the island where they filmed “The Beach”. I mean, talk about wedded bliss already. Ten days later, the honeymoon was over and it was time to go back to reality. David and I both agreed that in order for us to not be stuck in a rut, we need to constantly have something to look forward to. So, we started brainstorming. Boy, did things change quickly! In the next following weeks (yes, weeks!), we found out we were pregnant AND we started building a new house. Through all the chaos, our relationship has been incredible. We have grown so much as a couple this year and have also grown individually. Come July, we will be celebrating our one year anniversary in our new house with a newborn. I’m sure we will be greeted with new challenges but I could not imagine a better a partner for this journey. He’s the one I get to wake up to every morning and well, that’s just the best thing ever. 

Any advice for other newlyweds? We have 3 little pieces of advice for a happy first year: 

1. Know your partner’s love language. Read “The 5 Love Languages” by Gary Chapman. This book is incredible. David and I learned that we feel loved in different ways. Find your partner’s love language style, then choose to show love to your partner in that way (it’s not about what YOU need to feel loved, it’s about what YOUR PARTNER needs). 
2. Communicate. Compromise. Communicate. David and I have never gotten into a fight before. True story. People are literally shocked when I tell them this. Sure, we disagree and we bicker sometimes but we have never let anything escalate to a full blown argument. How? We communicate and we compromise and we communicate some more. If you’re bothered about something or have an objection to something your partner is doing, talk. We both agree that we don’t always have to “win” when it comes to our relationship. 
3. Show a little PDA. We know PDA isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but holding hands while you walk, or even a quick peck goes a long way. Show that after all these years you still find each other attractive. Be proud to be seen together. 

What do you see in your future? We always joke about how our ten year plan is on steroids. In the last two years, we got engaged, started a new restaurant business, moved from Atlanta to Savannah, took some time to travel, got married, got pregnant, and started building a new house. Whew! So as for the future, we have NO idea! We’re just trying to survive this beautiful chaos right now.