Paquita and Andrew's Twelve Year Anniversary in Paris -Munaluchi Bride

Featured in the Winter 2019 issue of MunaLuchi Bride Magazine!
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Paquita and Andrew celebrated twelve years of marriage with a beautiful anniversary photography session in Paris, France. Having met in high school their love has been a blessing, guiding them throughout their development not only as individuals but also as a loving couple. Read all about their experiences as they look back on their life together and continue looking forward to many more blissful years to come.

How did you meet? We met in high school so we have known each other for a LONG time. We grew up both as adults and a couple together.

When did you get married and where? We got married August 19, 2006 in Mississippi.

What was your wedding like? Our wedding was glamorous and most importantly we had pink as one of our colors; my favorite if you couldn’t tell from the anniversary photos. Andrew let me plan and assisted with some decisions but really allowed me to have the wedding I wanted.

As you celebrate your anniversary, what do you remember most about your wedding day? I’m most grateful my dad was still alive to walk me down the aisle; that’s every girl’s dream. He passed in 2010, but I know he approved of us together and trusted Andrew would forever take care of me.

Was there anything you would have done differently for your wedding? No, we both agree our wedding was perfect. We both were just starting our careers and saved to pay for our wedding ourselves and it was a very beautiful wedding.

What are your favorite things to do as a couple? We both like to travel for a weekend without the kids. This gives us time to connect and focus on our relationship.

Who cooks? Ha, should we tell them babe?…he does!

Do you have any children or pets? If so, tell us how many and what type of pets. We have two children, Jordan (6) and Alaia (2). They are the joys of our life and a reflection of our love.

When it comes to Career, what do both of you do and how do you make time for each other? Balancing career with family is tough; I’m in Finance and Andrew is in Insurance. Our weekends are our time to connect as a family and also as a couple.

What would you say are the most important elements for a successful marriage? Love, respect, commitment, honesty, trust, and intimacy are all important qualities in a successful marriage. For us, being able to be truly committed and connected with each other is the foundation of our marriage. Marriage is hard work, but having a solid foundation allows our marriage to continue to grow.

How do you keep the spark in your marriage? Laughter—we laugh with, and at each other ALL the time. That, and great sex haha.

Tell us about the shoot. What inspired it? Last year I told Andrew he should take me to Paris for one of our anniversaries. Fast forward to 2018, I find out I was going to be working in Europe the whole month of August. So I told Andrew he should come to Europe to meet me in Paris for our anniversary. I immediately started planning my anniversary gift to him; professional photos. When I found Daria I could see in her work she was amazing. We are both very appreciative she was able to capture us on our anniversary. The shoot exceeded both of our expectations. We have memories from our anniversary that will last a lifetime and we can’t thank Daria enough. We absolutely love the pictures!

What do you love most about him? Andrew has swag; he’s probably more stylish than me to be honest! He’s also handsome, smart, and funny. What I love most about Andrew is his selflessness. He is willing to go above and beyond for me and our kids and truly has a good heart. As my soulmate, he balances me and knows how to handle my big personality.

What does he love most about you? Paquita is beautiful, smart, ambitious, stylish; I could go on and on, but what I love most about my wife is her ability to make me a better person. Her ability to bring out the best in me and elevate me both professionally and personally, is what I love the most.

What advice can you give for newlyweds? You have to be able to communicate with each other. Being able to openly share and express your emotions, opinions, and thoughts respectfully is the most important advice we can share.