I’m a big fan of the idea that your home should in some way reflect where you live; I think most Southerners are, as a sense of place is important to us. I’m guessing reader Megan and her husband Josh would agree. They are lucky enough to live by the water in Wilmington, and their home’s soft white palette and nautical touches must fit right in! Friends, please enjoy their bright and beautiful home, even as we move into the cooler months!
Big hugs to our friends and Blue Ribbon Vendors Blueberry Creative for these photos!
The couple: Megan and Josh Barbour, 24 and 29
Years married: A little over two
Where you live: Wilmington, NC
Tell us a little bit about yourselves. Josh grew up in Raleigh, and I am originally from Wilmington. We both attended the University of North Carolina – Wilmington. Josh is the third generation in his family to work in the automotive industry at a dealership in our town. After years of teaching first grade, I’ve recently started teaching pre-kindergarten.
Tell us your love story in one sentence. We fell in love through the mission and ministry of our church, were married in that same church, and continue to strive to build a Christ-centered marriage.
What is your favorite part of being married? I think the best part for us is still waking up together and going to sleep beside each other every night. We have been married for a little over two years, and I still run to the door when he gets home from work every evening.
What has been the most surprising thing about marriage? How fun it is! When you are engaged, everyone has tons of wedding and marriage advice, but I think sometimes people forget to mention what an absolute blast it is to do life day in and day out with your best friend.
Tell us a little bit about where you live. This time last year, we weren’t even aware of this house! We were living less than five miles away, in our wonderful first home, and last October we listed and sold that house in less than three weeks and then renovated and closed on our current home the next week!
Tell us about the process of moving in together. Josh purchased our first home and lived there before we were married, so after our wedding, I moved in. My best tip is to involve your spouse in registering and picking out new items as much as possible. Josh loved working on our registry and I wanted him to be a part of every choice so that he would feel a sense of ownership in the things in our home.
Which items from your wedding registry do you use the most often? We use our beautiful dishes every day, and even our wedding china fairly often. China is one of those things we’d never buy ourselves, but I am so thankful that we registered for both sets.
Who cooks dinner? I really enjoy cooking, so I do every night. I meal plan a week in advance and adjust our dinners to our scheduling needs for that week. I love knowing well in advance what our meals are going to look like and it helps take all the guesswork out.
What’s your favorite place to find recipes? We are very blessed to have wonderful cooks on both sides of our family, so I use a good deal of family recipes. I am also a member of Junior League and I love looking up a new recipe in either a current cookbook or one of my grandmother’s old Junior League cookbooks.
What most makes your house feel like home? My husband. 100%. No matter where we live, or where we go, I am always going to feel at home as long as he is there. Nothing has ever felt more natural than being Mrs. Barbour. I still get butterflies in my stomach when I see his car pulling in the driveway!
Where do you splurge and where do you save when decorating? We believe in splurging on pieces of furniture that we will have forever, such as a bed or dining room table. In general, though, I am a saver and a crafter, so I love things like painting a piece of furniture we already have to give it a fresh look. I would also much rather stare at a blank wall until I find the perfect piece instead of just filling up space.
Which room in your home is your favorite, and why? Our dining room. Even though we probably use it the least, I think that makes it special. Also, I love the way the sunlight shines through the windows first thing in the morning.
What is your favorite memory from your wedding? My Dad is a minister, and he married us — that is something I will treasure for the rest of my life. I think my favorite memory from the day was a moment at the reception when I just stopped, looked around, and realized that all of our favorite people, from all aspects of both of our lives, were in that room, and that would likely never happen again.
How do you remember your wedding in your home? We have beautiful wedding photos throughout our home, and I watch our wedding video probably more than I ought to. Also, in our bedroom, we have the scripture Ruth 1:16 hanging: “Where you go, I’ll go, and where you stay, I’ll stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” My parents recited this at their wedding, and so did we. We also have this engraved in our wedding rings.
How does your family handle finances? We are very transparent with each other when it comes to finances, and we are both naturally financially conservative. We discuss almost every purchase we make. An app on our phones helps us stay on top of everything so we can meet our goals.
What’s your best tip for balancing your relationship and other life priorities? Josh and I always say that you have to guard your marriage, because no one else is going to guard it for you. We try to value every second we get to spend together and never take one another for granted.
What is one small way you love or serve your spouse? With Josh’s work schedule the way it is, he typically works on Saturdays, so I try to make sure that I get all caught up on the meal planning, cleaning, laundry etc. so that on Sunday when it’s our day together, we can just relax knowing those things are already handled. Josh always makes sure my car is clean and in tip-top condition, and he is always coming home with little surprises like my favorite flowers or ice cream.
Do you have a favorite date night idea to share? Our favorite date night is taking our boat out for an evening cruise in the waterway. We live in such a beautiful city and take every opportunity we can to enjoy it!
Big hugs to Megan and Josh for sharing their hearts and home with us! Just as a reminder: we’d love to hear from you, too! If you’re interested, take a peek at our Southern Newlywed submission page and shoot us an email!
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