Zero regrets. Arranged star Taylor Grubb says she’s tackling marriage and juggling her new career as a flight attendant. In an exclusive new interview with The Knot, Taylor defends herself to FYI viewers and gives an update on her marriage.
Not too long after her wedding, the reality personality accepted her dream job as a flight attendant — but she took the role without first consulting her husband. As witnessed on the latest episode, her career decision has added to the mounting tension in her marriage with David. Taylor took her position knowing that she could end up being assigned to another state. Meanwhile, her husband has a teaching contract in their hometown of Fort Worth, Texas.
“I had absolutely zero second thoughts about going out of state for training,” she tells The Knot. “David and I both knew we would be fine with the long distance as that is how our romance blossomed.”
Taylor has friends all over the country, which has made her job a little easier. Had she been based in a city other than Forth Worth, she had plenty of couches to “crash” on. “If I had been based in Phoenix, Houston, or Washington D.C., things still would have been alright, because I have friends in every city (perks of being a Marine’s daughter),” she says.
Although Taylor appears to be adjusting well to her new relationship status and career, she is quick to admit that juggling it has been rough. “Figuring out quality time has been difficult for us,” she acknowledges. “Between my typical work week and David’s coaching hours, we struggle a bit to have time with one another.”
“Since it is summer, it is a little easier for us to get time together by him traveling with me,” Taylor tells us. “We finally found time to take our honeymoon and went to the Cayman Islands, which was amazing! I think the only thing we both wish we knew prior to the wedding was that we were going to have to work extra hard a month in advance to get our schedules to align better for one another.”
On a recent episode of Arranged, Taylor and David went to marriage counseling in an attempt to work through their problems. Viewers learned that the couple’s issues run deep for David. After his father passed away five years ago, David’s ex-girlfriend cheated on him. Since then, he has been fearful of rejection, so Taylor leaving for training hit a nerve with him.
“When David and I went to counseling, it was the option we knew would be best for us in the long run,” Taylor shares with The Knot. “What was eye-opening was how [Pastor Tom] turned the tables on us in a way we were not expecting. We are not continuing counseling any longer, but that day did open things up for us to have better communication.”
David tends to let issues boil below the surface, but Taylor is quick to express her concerns the moment they arise. More than once, David has voiced his irritation over his wife’s constant nagging. “I understand he doesn’t like being nagged. Who does?” Taylor concedes. “But what I continue to tell him is that, if I am ‘nagging’ about something, it’s because it is bothersome to me, and I would like him to work on it.”
“If I say nothing, I will forever be annoyed and he would never know,” she explains. “For example, I nag David about his driving all the time because he is an awful driver! I am always going to nag him on that until he starts to focus on the road! It’s unsafe.”
Along with being an Arranged newlywed with a budding new career, Taylor had to adjust to living in her husband’s camper while they saved to buy a home. But this isn’t the first time the new bride has lived in a small space. “When my family and I first moved to Texas, we were all in a small 600 sq. ft. apartment with two dogs, a cat, and four kids,” Taylor recalls. “The camper had nothing on that. From all my experiences in tiny living, I know better than to take anything for granted.”
“The most important thing is having that time alone without others smothering you, because of so little room – and certainly hot showers!” she adds.
Since its premiere, Arranged fans have witnessed some tumultuous arguments between Taylor and her husband. She has also went head-to-head on multiple occasions with her outspoken mother-in-law, Melba. We were curious if watching the drama unfold on-screen has changed the way they communicate. “Not at all,” Taylor admits. “I was there for the real thing, so we know every part of the conversation and in what exact context things were said. The relationships between us are the same as before. Some of us still have yet to learn boundaries with others, but it’s all a learning process.”
And what is Taylor’s favorite thing about being married to her Arranged husband? “Everything!” she tells The Knot. “I have someone to travel the world with me, someone to build a home with, the man to father my children, and someone to always confide in. He’s my person.”
