BLACK LOVE CHAT WITH NEWLYWEDS JOSEPH & PHOENICIA

Joseph then asked me if I was ready for my second surprise The photographer took off their hat and sunglasses and I saw that the photographer was actually my best friend, Charlotte! Charlotte and I have been best friends since 4th grade It was amazing that my best friend was a part of th s special moment and I was brought to tears knowing that Joseph made all of th s happen

I remember thinking how lucky I am, that this man loves me so much, and that I can’t wait to just spend the rest of my l fe with him!

What let you both know that you were the right one for each n terms of getting married?

Our friendship plays a big role in our relationship We always talk about the fact that we were friends first for so long not only makes us closer but helped us learn about what type of people we were once we started dat ng we knew everything was genu ne there were no surprises or shocking facts to find out because we already knew so much about each other

How was the whole process of planning the wedding to the day of?

Joseph here! Lucky for me, Phoenic a already had most of the wedding planned before I proposed! We always talked about our future together, but I was blown away to see how much

Phoenicia prepared for our wedding Literally the n ght that I proposed to her, Phoenic a showed me that she had already picked our top potential venues, locked n a photographer and selected a DJ

Overall the plann ng was very stress free (and I promise Phoenic a can attest to this sentiment)! Part of what kept us connected was our choreographed dance that we planned for our f rst dance We took dance lessons for a few months and they ended up serv ng a dual purpose for us: a mini date n ght and a therapeut c reprieve as the weeks became busier leading up to our wedd ng

As newlyweds what advice would you give to any couple that s ready to tie the knot?

The wedding s a celebration dedicated to how much you love each other Don’t focus on the napkins being folded the right way or the flowers be ng perfectly set up

On our wedding day, Joseph and I made it our priority to stay with each other the whole night which we did! I’ve been told by so many couples that they did not get an opportunity to eat at their own weddings because of how fast it flew by Joseph and I ensured that we spent our ent re wedd ng together and even took some time to step away just to take it all n We made it a point to eat our dinner and engage with all our guests at our own pace to ensure we enjoyed the night Don t forget that you should enjoy every aspect of your wedding just as your guests do!

Is there anything you wish you knew prior to getting engaged or marr ed?

If you are changing your last name, get to the social security office early because when I showed up there was a long line!

Some people do couples/marriage counseling as preparat on was that someth ng you both did? If not, was there anything you both felt was mportant to discuss prior to gett ng married?

We are both big fans of counseling! Joseph and I had mentors that supported us, and we learned that a very mportant aspect of any relationship is commun cation We made it a point that we were a team throughout our relat onsh p We have learned that through teamwork and communicat on we can face anything head-on!

As newlyweds is there something you have learned mmediately w thin this first year of marriage? Nothing changed for us when we got marr ed We’ve always been best fr ends and t’s a big part of our relat onsh p If there is anything that we learned, t would be that it is possible to still be best fr ends after getting marr ed Everyday feels like a new adventure together and we love t!

We love Black Love! Why is Black Love so mportant for us to see as a community to you both?

We love learning new things about each other such as how we grew up and how we were raised t’s always so nteresting to see the things we have n common from our childhood as well as other things that we discover are different We both have such a good comb nation of sim lar ties and differences, that it’s fun to develop our own new tradit ons that are a reflect on of the best of both of us

What s your love language and what’s h s love language?

My love language is t me spent! I love a fun date night or even a walk n the park with our dog, as long as we are doing something together Joseph s love language s helping out and doing n ce things for me, whether that means running an errand for me or surprising me with dinner because I was busy at school

How do you keep your relationship and marriage fresh? Joseph and always make t me for each other We make sure that spending time with each other is just as mportant as that work meeting or dental appointment We’ve actually synced our calendars and that has made planning time for each other a p ece of cake

Lastly how do you ma ntain positive and healthy communicat on with one another even when the other is upset or you have to have those uncomfortable conversations?

There really sn t a conversation that we won’t have between the both of us because we are so open with each other already When you are practiced in having tough conversations, you learn how to communicate in a healthy way that no longer makes those conversat ons awkward