Summary
- Chip Gaines almost married someone else before meeting Joanna, but a series of mistakes led to the end of that relationship.
- Chip and Joanna are each other's only spouses and have no plans to change that.
- Chip and Joanna met in college in Waco, Texas, and despite some initial challenges, they hit it off and got married in 2003.
Joanna and Chip Gaines grew to fame after launching their home renovation show Fixer Upper. Things took off so quickly that the couple even took their show on a hiatus to focus on other projects and growing their family. Now, the Gaines are still a household name, with a massive shared net worth, and have accomplished more than they could have ever hoped for when they were just starting out with HGTV.
There's something else that led to their success, though—Chip Gaines totally striking out with someone he thought he wanted to marry before he ever locked eyes with Joanna. A string of actions—which Chip now considers mistakes—nearly led to him marrying someone else.
Was Chip Gaines Married Before Meeting Joanna?
A commonly-asked question about Chip and Joanna Gaines centers on their marriage, and whether either of the two was married (and divorced) previously. Though both have admitted their marriage takes work, it seems that Chip and Joanna are each other's only spouses—and don't have any plans to change that.
It's their hard-headedness (specifically Chip's) that helped them grow in business and their personal lives, but that same trait almost meant they never even met. Before Chip ever met Joanna, he had his heart set on someone else entirely.
Luckily, after a string of mistakes in pursuing the other woman, he eventually gave up. Later, he met and married Joanna, and is thankful for how things went down.
Chip Gaines Wanted To Marry His Ex-Girlfriend
Never one to shy away from sharing his personal experiences, Chip Gaines admitted in an article in the Gaines' The Magnolia Journal that he had his eye on someone other than his current wife at one point.
The 2017 article elaborated that Chip thought he was going to marry an ex (who he refers to as Amy—that's apparently not her real name) after he realized he hadn't been a great boyfriend and might lose the relationship entirely.
Chip recounted that "Amy put up with me despite my terrible approach to relationships," and the two stayed together through his high school graduation and he "kind of stuck around" waiting for her to graduate.
When she did and moved to London briefly (for a job), Chip visited her and they had some deep conversations. When Amy asked where Chip saw their relationship going, he replied that he didn't have any idea, which clearly hurt his high school girlfriend.
After that, Chip decided he was going to marry her, he wrote. He explained that her parents denied him permission to marry their daughter, and then he tried to construct a project in front of the girlfriend's apartment to charm her.
But, Chip noted, his 'retaining wall' "resembled a tombstone" and his note wasn't discovered, so everyone was freaked out. After that, his now-ex-girlfriend wrote Chip a "strongly worded" letter—and the relationship apparently ended.
How Did Chip And Joanna Gaines Meet?
While Chip's dating story with his ex was more of a cringeworthy tale, his story of meeting Joanna is a bit more charming. It also highlights why the pair is so closely tied to Waco, Texas—it's where they first met and fell in love.
They attended the same college, but Chip went out of his way to meet Joanna after seeing a photo of her in her dad's tire shop. That might border on cringe, but things turned out well. Chip asked Joanna out, and even though she says he was over an hour late (he says it was 20 minutes), they hit it off.
Things weren't smooth sailing from there, though; Chip took months to call Joanna again after their date because of a bet with a friend. He waited months to call her, won $50, and still got the girl.
Unlike "Amy," Joanna loved Chip's quirks, confidence, and his big dreams. Though it hasn't been an easy road by any means, the two clearly work well together and built up their empire with hard work and a solid partnership.
Chip And Joanna Gaines Got Married In 2003
By the time Chip met Joanna, he was more prepared for adulting and planning for the future. In his own words, Chip wasn't quite ready for marriage when he met Joanna, but he said he knew early on that he was serious about her.
The two were married in 2003 when Chip was about 28 years old (Joanna was about 24). Clearly, plenty of time elapsed between his high school relationship and meeting the woman who became his wife.
The pair waited a couple of years to start their family, welcoming their first child when Joanna was 27 (and their last—their fifth—when she was 40). Clearly, they don't have any regrets about their timeline or their business endeavors. In fact, Chip reflected on his failed proposal by saying he was so appreciative that he finally gave up, something that he doesn't often do.
