Hitched was founded by husband and wife, Chris and Stephanie Sammons, in 2018 as a way to provide couples with the convenience and affordability they found lacking at traditional jewelers.
After getting engaged, Chris eventually found himself in the market for his own wedding ring. Visiting jewelry stores weekend after weekend turned out to be a stressful and terrible experience; not only were the salespeople pushy and uneducated on men’s bands, jewelry stores were sorely lacking in selection, variety, and affordability for men. One jeweler handed him a catalogue of wedding bands to choose from along with a small collection of rings that were too small for him. Not being able to bear the thought of stepping into yet another jewelry store, Chris ended up making a purchase with hopes that when his ring arrived it would look and fit the way he envisioned. Not the experience he hoped for.
Six months later, and no ring in sight, Chris called his jeweler to find out what was taking so long; he and Stephanie had a destination wedding planned, and time was running out. It came to light that the jeweler had forgotten to place his order with the manufacturer and his ring would not be available in time for the wedding. Scrambling to find another option, Chris and Stephanie ordered several rings in a variety of styles and sizes from random online retailers. In the end, Chris was stuck with more than one ring due to inflexible return and exchange policies. To jewelers, men were clearly an afterthought.
Coupling their unfortunate wedding band shopping experience with their entrepreneurial spirit, the idea for Hitched was born. Chris and Stephanie’s passion lies in creating a fun and easy shopping experience that’s also affordable. While the average traditional jewelry stores mark up their wedding bands at 10 times the production cost, Hitched cuts out the middlemen which allows them to offer the same quality band that you would find at a jeweler only at a fraction of the cost.
Our Mission
Our mission at Hitched is to provide our customers with a shopping experience that embodies everything a wedding band symbolizes - love, trust, partnership, and forever. Not only do we want you to love your ring, but we want you to love the process of shopping for it - which means trusting who you are buying from and having the support you need while making one of the most special purchases of your life. We strive to form a lasting partnership with each and every one of our customers. From our fully customizable home try-on program and thorough educational resources to our excellent customer service and lifetime warranty, we're here for you for the big day - and forever after.
Meet The Hitched Team
Chris Sammons
CO-FOUNDER + TECHNICAL LEAD
With a background in supporting startups from idea to product launch, Chris brings business, technology and systems expertise to Hitched. After studying at University of Kentucky, Chris went to work for a large established company which, he soon learned, was not his calling; his passion lies in the challenges and breakthroughs of navigating entrepreneurship and building businesses. In 2012, at the age of 25, he successfully scaled his first ecommerce business, which he eventually moved on from to take on various sales & engineering roles with early stage Silicon Valley startups. His role at Hitched includes overseeing the financial and technical responsibilities of the business with a core focus in the online experience and tech-forward initiatives. He has come to love the intricaties of the jewelry industry.
Stephanie Sammons
CO-FOUNDER + CREATIVE LEAD
Stephanie’s professional background lies in marketing and advertising. After graduating from Penn State University with a communications and business degree, she went on to work in various agency and in-house marketing roles. Along the way, she always dreamed for a business of her own, one that would allow her to express her creativity. When Chris presented the idea for Hitched, she was on board and headed up all branding and marketing for Hitched, getting the concept out and in front of newly engaged couples. Stephanie has always been passionate about the arts, and jewelry is no different. As of 2022, Stephanie is GIA certified and personally designed Hitched’s signature engagement collection. She looks forward to continuing her GIA education and developing more products and designs for Hitched.
Kelly Shockley
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Kelly earned a degree from Ohio University in marketing and communications with a specialization in fashion merchandising. A Columbus native, Kelly has worked with multiple companies assisting them with customer service and marketing initiatives. Kelly was our first full time employee, starting out as our customer relations and marketing manager in Chicago. She now acts as our Director of Supply Chain Operations, ensuring that our customer experience is seamless from end to end. Kelly enjoys sketching, reading and going for jogs along the lake followed by trying out new restaurants.
Robert Apa
WAREHOUSE MANAGER
Rob was born and raised in South Philadelphia and graduated from Penn State University. In his teen and college years he worked at a local pharmacy and networked that into a 25-year pharmaceutical sales career promoting brands in virtually all therapeutic areas. At retirement an opportunity arose to join the Hitched team which he gladly accepted since the icing on the cake was that he’d be working with his daughter Stephanie and his son-in-law Chris who happen to be the co-founders of Hitched. Rob is a proud life-long Beatles fan and resides in Bucks County, PA with his bride of 40 years, Rose.
Emma Coats
PHILLY SHOWROOM MANAGER
Emma graduated with a BFA in Metals/Jewelry/Cad-Cam from Temple University while working as a ring designer and bench jeweler on Jeweler's Row in Philadelphia. During this time she also received her Applied Jewelry Professional certificate from GIA. Post-grad she was drawn to management and loved supporting team members to achieve their best, while also learning about the ins-and-outs of the jewelry industry. Emma loves interacting with couples looking for the perfect jewelry item to add to their personal collection. She is all about the sentimental meaning behind each item and sharing the technical components that go into creating each piece. In her spare time, Emma dabbles in various art mediums and loves reading with a warm cup of tea.
Nora Smith-Cohen
CHICAGO SHOWROOM MANAGER
Nora earned her degree from DePaul University in public relations and advertising. She has always enjoyed being part of the fashion and styling industry - often as a consumer! Through this experience, she was able to put her creativity, keen eye for detail, and organization to action. She loves assisting customers so that they can be confident throughout their shopping experience and in their purchase. During her experience at Hitched, Nora has developed an even deeper passion for jewelry, and as of 2022 is GIA Certified and equipped to assist customers shopping for their dream engagement ring or wedding band. In her spare time, Nora is checking out new restaurants, planning her next vacation, or hanging with her sweet pup Callie. Make sure to stop by and say hi!
Wedding band shopping has never been easier.
shop online
Home Try-On
Turn a long day at the jeweler into an easy and affordable experience. Choose from one of our pre-curated home try-on kits and try on five wedding bands on at home for five days!
SHOP IN-STORE
Visit A Showroom
When you book an appointment, you can expect a fun, informative and low-pressure shopping experience and to try on a variety of stylish and affordable wedding bands at your own pace.