I had my makeup professionally applied.  I bought a new dress, squeezed into a girdle and curled my hair.  I added just the right amount of perfume and slid into my strappy sandals. And then my husband looked at me and said, “You have grey hairs.”

As you can imagine, that was not the reaction I was going for.  But I’ve learned that marriage isn’t always the picture perfect, happily ever after, scenarios that we’re envisioned for ourselves.  There are good days and there are bad days.  There are days of triumph and so much defeat.

Today we celebrate 8 years of marriage.  While there’s much to say on the subject, I’m going to postpone my words and simply share this session that Josh and had taken together -just the two of us – last summer.

For us, date night normally take place at home.  So that where these pictures were taken as well.  While I don’t normally wear heels on our walks down to the lake and our chippy old boat isn’t usually adorned with flowers, it was still fun to style a session right here in our own little slice of the world.

Photography: Samantha James Photography | Floral Design: The Day’s Design | Makeup: Natural Beauty Salon

Want to know how we’ve made it 8 years so far?  Read 3 Tips for a Successful Marriage and follow along our Marriage Study.