Miss Maine, Juliana Morehouse, will make historical past as the primary married lady to compete within the Miss USA pageant.

Morehouse, 23, has been competing in pageants since she was 16. Impressed by her mother — a former Miss North Carolina who was second runner-up at Miss USA 1994 — Morehouse has dreamed of creating it to the Miss USA stage since she was only a woman. 

“I made a decision on my seventh birthday that I wished a Miss USA-themed birthday,” Morehouse advised Insider. “I used to be Miss USA in fact, as a result of I used to be the birthday woman, and we did just a little night robe competitors in my lobby at residence.” 

Morehouse was impressed to start out competing in pageants after seeing how a lot her mom beloved the expertise.

“Two of her finest buddies are former Miss USA contestants,” Morehouse stated. “And it launched a profession in tv information for her.”

“Pageants are actually a microcosm of the actual world in a approach,” she added. “I believe it is ready me in additional methods than one as I embark on totally different chapters of my life.” 

Morehouse was already engaged earlier than the Miss USA group modified the foundations to permit married ladies to compete within the pageant for the primary time in its historical past.

Morehouse’s now-husband, Taylor Reed Locklear, received down on one knee in April 2022, a couple of weeks after Morehouse had positioned third runner-up within the Miss Maine competitors. 

She knew she wished to compete for the title another time, however the potential of a rule change hadn’t even crossed her thoughts. 

“We went forward and set a marriage date and began to perform a little planning, however made the settlement that if I did win Miss Maine in November, we might have to maneuver the marriage,” Morehouse stated. 

Morehouse stated she was shocked when she heard the information concerning the rule change.

In August 2022, it was introduced that married ladies and moms would be capable of compete on the Miss USA and Miss Universe competitions beginning in 2023. The timing could not have been extra excellent for Morehouse. 

“I’ve dreamed of getting married for lots of my life, and I’ve dreamed of competing at Miss USA for lots of my life,” Morehouse stated. “I by no means thought doing the 2 on the similar time can be doable.” 

“I really feel actually honored to be the primary to do each,” she added. “And it simply excites me as a result of, in loads of methods, there’s an assault on marriage in our tradition. And I believe marriage is an excellent establishment and it may be a extremely constructive life alternative for lots of girls.” 

Morehouse received married on April 29 on the similar church the place she received engaged.

Locklear popped the query in entrance of St. Philip’s Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on Easter weekend in April 2022. 

“He selected the church as a result of our religion is essential to us and we met loads of actually fantastic individuals at that church,” Morehouse stated. “It is lovely as properly, and it was cool that it ended up being the place we received married.” 

Morehouse wore a customized Pnina Tornai robe that she discovered at Kleinfeld in New York Metropolis.

Morehouse stated she and her mom had at all times talked about going to Kleinfeld — the well-known bridal retailer from “Say Sure to the Costume” — and turned it into a giant journey along with her two sisters after she received engaged. 

Morehouse beloved a long-sleeved costume that suited her “old-soul character,” however she was apprehensive concerning the heavy skirt. Little did she know, Tornai was really at Kleinfeld that very same day doing a trunk present. 

“She got here in and stated we are able to make the skirt removable and he or she modeled the underside of the costume after one other I had tried on,” Morehouse stated. “Our entire expertise was superb, I might ship anyone there.” 

Morehouse stated her favourite a part of the marriage was the ceremony.

“I actually wished it to be a spiritually transferring expertise for individuals, and loads of that was being very intentional concerning the music that I selected,” she stated. “We had a full choir, a soloist, strings, organist, pianist, bagpipes, trumpets.” 

“So many individuals had been extraordinarily emotional, crying, and stated it was one of the best marriage ceremony music at a ceremony that they’d ever heard,” she added. “We had some individuals inform us it was actually extra like a worship service.” 

Morehouse included her ardour for pageants into the reception.

Friends acquired light-up crowns as a substitute of glow sticks, in addition to sashes with phrases like “Maine-ly right here to occasion” and “Mr Drywall 2023,” which paid tribute to Locklear’s drywall firm.

The marriage additionally changed into a candy Miss USA reunion. Morehouse’s mother’s finest buddies — a former Miss North Carolina and Miss Rhode Island — had been on the marriage ceremony, as had been the present Miss Massachusetts, Annika Sharma, and former Miss Virginia 2021, Christina Thompson. 

There have been additionally cardboard cutouts of Morehouse being topped as Miss Maine USA, which later went crowd-surfing on the dance flooring.

“Folks had far more enjoyable with the crown and sashes than I believed they might,” she stated. “Each particular person of all ages, that they had them on.” 

Now that the marriage is over, Morehouse is targeted on getting ready for the upcoming Miss USA pageant.

On prime of finding out for her grasp’s in theology and a graduate program in medical psychological well being counseling, Morehouse is working with strolling coaches, maintaining with the information, and giving shows as a neighborhood educator for the Alzheimer’s Affiliation. 

And Morehouse is so excited to signify married ladies on the Miss USA stage.

“There isn’t any different job {that a} married lady cannot do due to her marital standing,” Morehouse stated. “There are married ladies who’re CEOs, there are married ladies who’re medical doctors, there are married ladies who’re attorneys, fashions, lecturers, nurses, enterprise house owners — all totally different profession paths.”

She added: “Miss USA is a job, so how is that any totally different?”