In this series I interview married women of all ages and from all walks of life and ask them real questions about their lives now, after all the glitter and sparkle of their wedding day is over.  Today I've got Amy, a fellow South African blogger over at Tea With Mrs B sharing with us her her life after the dress.

Grab yourself a cup of tea and be ready to be inspired!

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Q1: Please introduce yourself (age, of both yourself and your husband, where do you live, what do you do & how long have you been married for?)

Hello! I am 24 year old Amy Brown, married to 26 year old Duane Brown for a year on the 21st of March. We live in Cape Town, South Africa and I am a freelance copywriter and social media manager.

Q2: Which Disney character do you feel sums you up to a ‘T’?

Ooh this is hard! Ha ha I would say either Merida from Brave or Mulan. Mainly because they’re both fiercely independent but also because they both love adventure. I also have ridiculously curly hair like Merida, but it’s not red.

Q3: How did you and your hubby meet?

We met at the after party thing for an old friend’s 21st. He was friends with someone I knew and just like good ‘ol Murphy, he actually used to live next door to one of my oldest friends, although we had never met prior to the after party.

Q4: Was your wedding everything you hoped it would be? Would you go back and change anything? Do you have any advice for brides-to-be?

My wedding was 100% exactly how Duane & I both wanted it! We really wanted a day where both of us would completely enjoy ourselves and our guests would just have a blast and that’s what we got! The only thing I would change, and it isn’t even a major thing for me, would be to not invite one or two people out of obligation. Advice? It’s your day, you and your hubby to be are the ones that look back and remember it and it needs to be a memory you love going back to! No one should take that away from you so do what makes you happy!

Q5: Has ‘life after the dress’ been as you imagined it would be?

It has, actually. Because Duane and I didn’t live together before the wedding, a lot of people told me that it would hard adjusting to living with each other and that the first year is the hardest. And whilst I agree that marriage does take hard work, it’s definitely something I would do 1000 times over again! Duane makes life so much fun and I really feel like I’m doing life with my best friend. 

Q6: What do you think makes marriage work?

Communication and LOADS of patience! Patience gives the other person the grace to make mistakes and space to do better. It allows the person to try again. And communication is key! People can’t read minds so it’s unfair to expect someone to know what you’re wanting/feeling/expecting if you haven’t spoken up. 

Q7: What have you learnt about yourself since being married?

Oh gees, so much! I’ve realized that I’m more imperfect than I knew and that I suck at communication. I’m big into talking about feelings and stuff (I should’ve been a psychologist) and I honestly thought I had communication down, but when you get past the whole romantic notions of love and realize that, unlike 10 Things I Hate About You or Nottinghill, you realize that men don’t always automatically know what you want and expect. You need to communicate.  

Q8: If you could describe your marriage in 3 words, what would they be?

Fun, loving, forgiving.

Q9: Do you have any pearls of wisdom you would like to share with my readers about being married? Perhaps something some wise person once told you, or something you’ve learnt the hard way?

Marriage is definitely not easy, but it is incredibly worth it and rewarding! It should be loved, nurtured and protected at all costs. Patience is not just a virtue, it can often be a saving grace. Give your Significant Other the space to be human and never be afraid to be the one who loves the most!

You can find Amy at the following places:

• Blog: Tea With Mrs B
• Instagram: @amybrown777
• Facebook: Tea With Mrs Bee
• Twitter: AmyFrancis777
• Pinterest: amybrown777

I hope you have been enjoying this series as much as I have enjoyed putting it together.

If you would like to be featured here on the blog, you can drop me an email using the contact form above or leave me a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!