To Have and to Holden is our series where we interview real couples about their romance, weddings, and whatever else comes up along the way. Enjoy!
Annelise and Chip are a Denver-based couple who were married in Michigan in August 2019. Chip wore our Triangle Profile in yellow gold for their summer wedding.
Tell us the story of how you two met and started dating!
Annelise
Chip was my RA in college but I got to know him through some mutual friends. I have to say, I did not have any interest in him when we were first introduced. He was persistent, charming, and fun...and about a year later I was interested.
Chip
I was struck by Annelise’s gorgeous eyes and so I commented on her Facebook wall.
Was there a moment when you went, “Wow, this person is the one?”
Annelise
I don’t think there was one moment. We have been together for the past 8+ years, so I have said that we kind of grew into being “adults” together. I am sometimes surprised that we were able to navigate so many different stages of life and stay together, if only because I think of who I was at age 20 and I feel like such a different person now.
Chip
I wouldn’t say a specific moment, but after I graduated college and was living in Brooklyn, Annelise was still upstate at school and she would come down to the city to visit me. It showed she loved me and would take the time to come and hang out. She even took an unpaid internship in the city to make sure we could have time together.
How did you get engaged?
Annelise
We had planned a backpacking camping trip one weekend. We woke up in the mountains and decided to go for a hike. Chip was very anxious to get going, which is not like him, but once we were on the trail he was lagging way behind, also not like him. We stopped at a nice view and he suggested we take a picture with a self timer, again, not like him. Right before the timer went off, I looked over and he was down on one knee. He told me after that he was falling behind on the hike because his knees were shaking so badly =]
You both work in food! Tell us a little about that!
Annelise
Chip and I met in culinary school in NY. I studied baking and pastry and he studied culinary arts. Food makes both of us happy. Eating it, photographing it, traveling for it, cooking it. It’s a big connector for us. Whether it is planning a vacation around local foods or making a menu for grocery shopping for a week at home together.
Chip
While we’re both not in kitchens anymore, it’s still one of our greatest bonds.
You guys live in Denver - what are some of your favorite food/drink spots?
We love Work & Class and Bluepan (a Detroit-style pizza spot). We’ve really enjoyed trying out the little taco and pho places in our new neighborhood that have been staples in Denver before the city blew up. One of our favorite things to do is go out for a coffee date. Everyone thinks of Denver as a beer town, but its coffee scene is so impressive. We have a handful of favorite roasters! We love to bop around to different breweries for drinks.
What are some details about your wedding that you’d like to share? Anything about the location, clothes (would love to hear about the yellow dress!), food, guests, music, whatever you’d like to talk about!
Chip
I was touched that everyone from my family made the trip from the east coast to Detroit (where Annelise is from) to celebrate with us. Especially my dad, who had open heart surgery a week before our wedding. Our flower girl is my niece. I walked down the aisle with her. On our way down, I told her I was nervous and she said, “Don’t worry, I’m not nervous, I’ve already done this 4 times.” She could be a professional flower girl, she had done it so many times.
Annelise
Our friends and family made our day so special. The whole wedding week was so fun. We got married at an old film production building in Detroit called Jam Handy. My Grandy (grandma) made my yellow dress… I tried on white dresses and just didn’t love how I looked in them, especially being so fair skinned. So my Grandy made my dress, even putting in a pocket for me. The yellow went perfectly with Chip’s dark green suit. I made ice cream sandwiches for our wedding dessert (putting that pastry degree to work!). Chip’s uncle Chris performed the ceremony. Two of our best friends played banjo and guitar as we walked down the aisle. We had fried chicken, kimchi and sparkling wine for dinner. A bunch of my cousins came hours before the ceremony and helped set the table, and a bunch of our friends helped us break down at the end. One of our friends was our amazing DJ. We are surrounded by an amazing community!
Do you have specific moments from your wedding that you know you’ll remember forever?
Annelise
We asked everyone to dance with their person during our first dance, it was so special to be surrounded by people you love. I also will always remember the look on Chip’s face as we were reading to each other during the ceremony. We each picked some words/a poem to read to each other instead of writing our own vows. We did Irish vows and promised each other “the first sip of my wine and the first cut of my meat” along with other things haha.
What was important to you when shopping for wedding rings?
Annelise
Chip felt really uncomfortable when we went into a store to try on a band for him. He’s never worn or shopped for jewelry before, and it’s hard to choose when you’re in a store trying something on for one minute. It was great to be able to have the Holden rings sent to our house so he could try them on and see how they felt for longer.
How did you find Holden? Why did you decide to choose us?
Customer service was awesome! It was easy to order, we loved the more durable options, the quick shipping and the affordability. We wanted something simple for our bands so value was important.
Anything you wish you’d known while planning your wedding? Advice you’d give to other couples?
Annelise
The day went by way too fast! Do exactly what you want… wear a yellow dress, don’t serve cake if you don’t like cake, it’s your day.
Chip
Don’t get drunk the day before, and if you do, get up early and go on a 20 mile bike ride with your future father in law and you’ll feel better. That’s what I did.
Want to be featured in our next post? Shoot us an email at help@hiholden.com!
