melanie&garrett {happily ever after}

What a wedding this was! So many fun things stand out to me, but this post is about Melanie & Garrett's memories & their future plans:

1. What was your most memorable moment?

Melanie // I'll have to pick 2 for this! Ceremony-wise, as I was walking down the aisle I saw Garrett's eyes start to tear up, & that was really special to me because I wasn't expecting that to happen. My other most memorable moment was our choreographed first dance - it was the one & only time we executed it without any mistakes, & we had such a fun time doing it!
Garrett // That's a hard question, all of it was so special. Number one was when Melanie came down the aisle. Up to that point, it didn't really seem real or that it was happening to me. Second, when I trick Mel into singing Baby Got Back in front of everybody. 

2. What were the inspirations for your wedding? themes? Why did you pick this time of year?
We got married the day after Melanie graduated medical school. We picked our date because it was one of the only dates that could fit in our busy schedules, as well as allowing Mel's family from out-of-town/country to celebrate both her medical school graduation & our wedding in the same weekend. As for theme - we love the color blue, so we just focused on simple but elegant design with flowers to highlight that.

3. Was there anything that was not worth fussing over? In other words, did you have a bridezilla/groomzilla moment over something that was insignificant?
Melanie // Hmm. Honestly, I can't think of anything we fussed over that wasn't worth fussing over. We had a few stressful things happen that day (his dad/bro not having their tuxes, rain that turned to a flood so some guests unfortunately couldn't make it (& sadly we couldn't get all of the outside photos we wanted!)) so I suppose there wasn't really a moment to fuss over anything minor!
Garrett // On the whole, we were pretty chill about most details of the actual wedding just as long as it happened. I think the guest list gave us the most trouble, but that is definitely a thing everybody should be taking time on.

4. Any advice for those planning now?
Melanie // Have each person who is involved in the wedding planning pick three things that matter most to you (individually). For me, it was photography/videography, dance, & food. For my mom, it was décor, food, & music. Focus on these goals, so that when arguments eventually occur, you can let go about the things that don't matter as much to you. So if mom was really set on something décor-wise, I just didn't put up as much of a fuss about it, because I knew it meant a lot more to her than it did to me. 
Garrett // Tell the venue & catering it is for an anniversary party so that you don't get the ridiculous wedding mark up.

Tell me about married life!

1. What has been the easiest & hardest parts about adjusting to married life?
Melanie // I bet Garrett will say the same thing, lol. The hardest part has definitely been not living with each other. Unfortunately the first year of our marriage has mostly been apart, as I have been doing residency in a different city than Garrett has been doing medical school. I have high hopes for our second year though, as we should be able to spend about 7 months of it living together! The easiest part is everything else.
Garrett // Not too much has changed as were still living apart which super duper sucks. So, we'll see how next year goes when we get to spend more time together.

2. What's been the most surprising thing you've learned about each other?
Melanie // I've been most recently surprised by how many hours Garrett has dedicated to providing medical care for the indigent population of his city - despite being a busy medical student, he's volunteered over 1,000 hours at the clinic. He amazes me daily by not only how much he dedicates to others, but how he also focuses on how to make himself a better person. 
Garrett // I can't really say I've been to surprised by anything this year. I've seen Melanie grown into the caring & skilled doctor I knew she was going to be, & I've enjoyed those moments when she is genuinely surprised by those around her complimenting her on generous spirit.

3. What do you guys do to spend time together? Do you have weekly dates? something nightly? monthly?
When we have been able to visit each other (every month-3 months, depending on our schedules), we've really made the most of our time together... cooking & watching movies, reading together, spending time with friends, & going on adventures, such as camping in Guadalupe Mountain National Park & visiting Carlsbad Caverns!

4. What did you do, or will you do, to celebrate your one year anniversary?
Melanie has a vacation week during our one year anniversary, so she will be flying out to visit Garrett where he currently lives. We'll definitely celebrate with a delicious dinner but haven't decided what adventuring we will do just yet.

5. Any plans for the future? Or, rather, what would you like to have done/seen/experience in the next five years?
In the next 5 years, we want to finally be living with each other (hopefully within the next year that will be fulfilled). We will go on our honeymoon, would like to start a family, & travel to more places together like Japan or India. In 5 years both of us will have graduated our respective residency programs (ob/gyn & family medicine), & hopefully be at a supportive, wonderful jobs in whatever city we want to live in. =)