Jephte Pierre and Shawniece Jackson have come very far from Season 6 of Married at First. The pair, who struggled with communication issues early on, as well as mental health struggles and infidelity not long after, managed to work through their issues to stay together and be a happy, solid unit for their 1-year-old daughter, Laura Denise. Two years later, they are stronger than ever, and they’re celebrating their two-year anniversary today as man and wife, parents and homeowners (and dog owners to Kiki).

“Celebrating our two year anniversary is a huge milestone for us,” the couple told us in a joint statement. “Two years ago we married as strangers, got pregnant and almost didn’t make it to year one. Now two years later, we stand here with our one-year-old daughter, in our house that we bought together, looking at each other – best friends and life partners. Having the support of the experts from day one has been pivotal in our ability to get through those early hurdles. They saw something in us before we even saw each other.”

Shawniece, who has always fought hard for her marriage, said she’s grateful for the efforts Jephte made to bring them closer together. He may not be the perfect husband, but he’s definitely the man she needed in her life.

“There’s no way I would have made it this far without Jephte,” she told us. “When I say without him – I mean putting in the work to make our marriage work, a shoulder to cry on, a supporter and most importantly the best dad Laura could ask for. I smile knowing we choose each other daily, and that we will continue to do so. It’s a love worth fighting for.”

The two celebrated their beautiful family and two years of love by doing a photo shoot in matching palm print and yellow Converse sneakers:

The couple people had their doubts about are still going strong, and to their credit, are one of only six success story partnerships from Married at First Sight thus far after nearly nine complete seasons.

When we interviewed Shawniece before Season 6 began, she made it clear that being on the show wasn’t easy, but she was ready to do the work to get her happily ever after.

“It’s a learning experience. You grow with the person and you’re doing a lot of different things. So as much as you’re learning things about your partner, you’re also learning things about yourself,” she said. “That’s why I say it takes you to be solid and whole and content with yourself. You have to have that confidence to move forward and do what you have to do and just truly be yourself. I think being yourself is the major part.”

We’re glad to see that she found her forever.