Wedding Wednesdays: Megan + Sean Slaton

A love story meant to be! For Megan Slaton, USMC Branch Mentor at MSAN, and her husband Sean, the wedding day came together perfectly, even with a few bumps along the way to her Jacksonville, North Carolina, courthouse nuptials. An anniversary on National Tequila Day? Count us in!

From “just friends” to something more, Megan shares her beautiful beginnings to becoming a Marine spouse six years ago. Now, the couple shares three children, and Megan is currently in school for a double Bachelor’s degree, all while running a home bakery.

Megan believes that you will get what you put into life, and she has certainly demonstrated that through her resilience, personal growth, and volunteerism!

How did you meet?

We met through mutual friends on his Christmas leave in 2013. We stayed friends for the longest time and every time he came home on leave, we all got together. Over his deployment in 2016, we talked more and got closer. This man found cell service from a satellite phone to call me for my birthday even though he told me he'd be out of communication for a few weeks. I mean, how sweet is that?!

He came back stateside August 3, 2016 and I did not want to wait another three weeks for leave. By this point I was pretty sure I loved him so I drove up after work [that] Friday. We spent the weekend together and the rest is history. Turns out he was pretty crazy about me too.

Tell us about your wedding.

Prior to [Sean’s] upcoming deployment, he and I had talked about moving in together and engagement after he came home. A few days before we said our “See-you-laters,” we found out I was pregnant. He said it was meant to be, that we would get married once he came home, and start our family.

It may seem silly, but our day was perfect. His lieutenant, staff sergeant, and one of his buddies came to be our witnesses. It was a cash-only transaction for the license, and we brought just what we were quoted. We actually needed a few dollars more, so everyone was counting change to make it happen!

It was so frustrating in the moment, but now we laugh about it. We then all went to lunch and had a great time. We learned at dinner that night it was National Tequila Day so it has now become a tradition to take a shot on our anniversary.

What were those first years like for you as a military spouse?

The first few years were naturally chaos. A month after we were married, he got a call he was going to Syria. I was a month from having out son. They pulled someone else for the deployment (to my relief and his dismay) and he was there for the birth. He was happy to be there, but he is very passionate about his job and wanted to go [to Syria] as well. I knew from the jump the mission is first, but that doesn't mean he loves me any less.

Within four months of being married, he received orders from North Carolina to Hawai'i. The move terrified me as I had just left my hometown and everything I knew. I didn't know it then, but that move was the best thing to ever happen to me. I learned just how strong I am and how amazing the military community can be.

Has your outlook on military lifestyle changed at all over the years? How so?

I have the same mindset now as I did then. With anything in life, you will get out of it what you put into it. I give my all to volunteering, getting myself out there, and making the best of each duty station. I now have friends across the world, have experienced different places with my family, and learned just how strong I truly am. There are challenges yes, and hurry up and wait is no fun, but you have to learn to just ride the waves. The chaos doesn't last forever.

MSAN has resources for retired spouses, too! If you are new to military life and would like to be connected with a mentor, click here.

If you are interested in becoming a mentor or volunteering with MSAN, please click here.

Stephanie Allen is the Communications & Marketing Director for the Military Spouse Advocacy Network. She is a proud Navy wife and mom, a writer, blogger, success coach, and the Content Manager & columnist for Tidewater Family Plus magazine.