Brian Esser and Kevin O'Leary
New York City

After the Supreme Court overturned DOMA last year, Esser and O'Leary could finally file their federal taxes jointly as a married couple for the first time.

They had expected to owe the IRS around $5,000 more because they both earned similar incomes, but pleasantly that ended up not being the case.

Instead they received a refund of $1,500, largely because Esser launched his own law firm last year and was able to deduct business-related expenses. In addition, the extra income tax of $1,000 a year that the couple used to pay on the health benefits that O'Leary receives through Esser's employer-sponsored plan also disappeared.

Watch the couple react to the Supreme Court's decision

The process of filing their taxes was a lot easier, too.

"I could not get over how easy it was to do our taxes this year, getting to file as a married couple recognized by the federal government," Esser said. "Gone are the days of deciding who takes which deductions and trying to strategize to minimize our tax burden. I was able to bang out our tax return in an afternoon, whereas before it took days trying to sift through everything."

But the best part of the past year: The couple welcomed a second son into their family in April. "He is an absolute delight," said Esser.

Here's where Esser and O'Leary were a year ago