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Tying the Knot #12

: Here's to an Everlasting Crush

Hallie + Alex

Who knew a little crush could lead to a lifetime of crushing it together as life partners! From that first spark of attraction to walking down the aisle, their love bloomed like a flower in spring. Alex and Hallie's love story serves as a beautiful reminder that sometimes the most powerful and enduring connections can arise from the tiniest sparks.

“Hey… I have a crush on you.”

Q. How did you guys first meet and fall in love?

A. Alex and I met in Gunnison, Colorado when we would both be attending the university that fall back in 2016 when we were 20 years old. However, Alex hadn’t moved to Gunnison yet, and he was only visiting on the weekends. The previous winter, I had worked as a lift-op up on Mt. Crested Butte, and my group of friends always went to parties with Alex’s friend group, so it just became a regular thing that we always were at the same party! I had definitely noticed him after a few weekends, and it had gotten to the point where I never thought he was going to do anything about it! This particular party was winding down, and people were moving inside the house, but somehow he decided to stay outside on the couch with me, not saying anything of course, so I plucked up as much courage as I could, and it just came out, “Hey... I have a crush on you.” He didn’t waste a second and said, “Right back at ‘ya.” After that, he left for a week to go home, and we texted and talked on the phone, but he didn’t want to “start dating” until we actually went on a real date. We ended up going on a hike (which I hate lol), and the sunset ended up being one of the best ones I’ve ever seen! After July 9, 2016, it was always Hallie and Alex.

“Alex always used to sneak into conversation, 'Marry me?'"

Q. How did you know you wanted to marry each other and who wanted to tie the knot first?

A. We knew we wanted to get married, I want to say pretty soon, but it was at least a year and a half to two years after we had started dating. Alex always used to sneak into conversation, “Marry me?” And I would always say, “Yes.” I think around 3 years he finally took a step back and realized that it would never be a surprise if he kept asking all the time. I was bummed I wouldn’t hear it anymore, but it was exciting!

“I ended up choosing the Meraki Ring because of the six stones, one for every year I’ve loved her.”

Q. Why did you choose Hiddenspace, how did you hear about us, and what made you decide on this specific ring?

A. Ultimately Hallie found HIDDENSPACE. She has always had different taste than any of the other women she knows. No princess cut, no solitaire, and definitely not anything heart-shaped. She’s a nontraditional kind of gal. She sent me pictures of rings all the time. I knew exactly what she wanted but I didn’t want her to know what it looked like. I told her I wanted it to mean something and to mean as much as she means to me. I ended up choosing the Meraki Ring because of the six stones, one for every year I’ve loved her.

“All of a sudden, I turn around and he’s on one knee, and I just couldn’t believe it. All I could do was sob. I truly couldn’t believe it! But of course, I said yes, and we drove back to my parents’ house completely in love all over again!”

Q. Tell us about the details of the proposal & the wedding. How did you feel? How did it go?

A. Everything about our proposal and wedding were simple. We had gone back to Crested Butte to visit my parents and we decided that we would take an evening and drive 30 minutes to Gunnison to our absolute favorite pizza place, Pie-Zans. It’s a frequent date night spot when we lived in the valley! After dinner, we thought we’d take a walk around our old stomping ground and just enjoy the snow. We walked around one of the smaller quads where we would bring our dog, Howard, to play in the summer when everyone was gone. As we’re walking down the lamp-lit sidewalk, I notice that Alex steps back, but I didn’t think anything of it, really. All of a sudden, I turn around and he’s on one knee, and I just couldn’t believe it. All I could do was sob. I truly couldn’t believe it! But of course, I said yes, and we drove back to my parents’ house completely in love all over again!The wedding was the most incredible thing that has ever happened to me. We got married in Alex’s home country of Switzerland! I can’t even believe it!! It was just us, Alex’s cousin, her dad, and son (little David), and his uncle who, a few years before, had married his oldest sister in their backyard. So, we decided since we didn’t have the money for a big wedding and we also didn’t see ourselves being engaged for a long time, we would just fly out and get married in his backyard! Everything was perfect, so sweet and simple!

“We ended up sitting there for hours, drinking wine and talking, and we stumbled through the streets of Bern all the way back to our hotel.”

Q. Describe your romantic night or the most romantic day you guys have ever shared.

A. I think the most romantic night we have ever shared was actually after we had gotten married. It was in Bern, Switzerland. We had been walking around all day, and we had seen this nice Italian restaurant, and we decided we were going to sit outside and enjoy the incredible weather and enjoy being married! We ended up sitting there for hours, drinking wine and talking, and we stumbled through the streets of Bern all the way back to our hotel. We both think very fondly of that night often.

“If something bothers you, don’t wait until it can’t be helped.”

Q. Any advice to couples or newlyweds? Anything else you’d like to share with the world?

A. In the almost 7 years that Alex and I have been together, I think the best advice is to just be open and honest with one another. If something bothers you, don’t wait until it can’t be helped. We’re on each other's side and we only want each other to thrive!

Arranged by

Jamie Han

Credit

Hallie: @ghostinthehallz

Alex: @naeffski

Photographer: @nathaliaestherphotography