Love in Sisters Growing together - Erin and Doug Holt

Erin had just moved to Santa Barbara and was looking for a personal trainer position when she met Doug, a local gym owner. They went their separate ways, but two years later their paths crossed again, and Erin started as a trainer at Doug’s gym.

A great working relationship led to spending more time together even outside the gym. It was during an outing to a soccer game, enveloped in the roar of the cheering crowd, that they realized there was something there. They couldn’t deny the attraction they felt for each other and decided to give it a go.

“We never looked back,” Erin recalls.

Dating and working together, as you can imagine, had its pros and cons. All week they ran the gym together, and to find some balance they spent weekends away from work — a time to focus on each other instead of work.

Three busy years later Doug proposed to Erin during a trip to visit her family. A couple’s weekend at the Mt. Washington Hotel, surrounded by the historic buildings and White Mountains of New Hampshire, provided the perfect backdrop for Doug to get down on one knee.

On September 21, 2013, they married in June Lake, California, at the Double Eagle Mountain Resort. With so many guests coming from afar, they planned a fun-filled three-day wedding weekend. In the evenings, friends and family relaxed together under the stars warmed by a bonfire on the lakeshore. One of Erin’s fondest memories is the Field Day that Doug’s brother planned on the beach of June Lake. The guests played a variety of games to bring everyone together.

“It was like being a kid again. We just played,” she says.

The wedding day weather was less ideal. Where the two days before were clear skies and sunshine, the day of was mercurial. In true mountain fashion, every type of weather presented itself: snow, rain, hail, sun, and snow. What was supposed to be an outdoor, barefoot ceremony was no longer possible. But with some quick action by Doug and the groomsmen moving the entire wedding inside, the day was a memorable success.

Doug and Erin dreamt of traveling and eventually leaving Santa Barbara, and decided it was time to hit the road in a Sprinter van. They toured the Northwest, Alaska, and Canada keeping their eyes open for their next move. On the way back to Santa Barbara they stopped in Bend and fell for the Central Oregon mountain town. They found a townhome in a week, sold their business, and moved to Bend, where their son was born. Soon after their second child, they found their perfect home in Sisters. On date nights they can be found at their favorite spots, The Open Door or The Barn, or enjoying a mountain bike ride in Sisters Country.

Nine years of marriage have taught Doug and Erin Holt that “marriage deserves attention; make intentional time for it.” Erin attributes their strong relationship to mutual respect, a passion for personal growth, and loving life.

Do you have a love story you would like the share? If so, we would love to hear it. Please email Sabrina at [email protected]