HARDY is engaged to his longtime girlfriend and he made the proposal extra special!
During an appearance at the 14th Annual Academy Of Country Music Honors ceremony on Wednesday, August 25, the “Give Heaven Some Hell” singer told the story of how he proposed to his longtime girlfriend Caleigh Ryan.
He shared that he faked a private gig at The Lyric Theater, a historic venue in Oxford, Mississippi, and the same venue where he and Ryan met nearly 4-years ago. He wanted to make the proposal extra special by asking her to marry him in the same spot he met his now-fiancée. Hardy admitted that he was “more excited than anything” to pop the question at the historic venue in his home state.
“I decided to do it in Oxford, Mississippi, there’s a venue there called The Lyric. It’s like a small 800 to 1000 cap venue and that’s where she and I met around four years ago. And so, a few months ago I decided that I wanted to do it there and if I could I wanted to do it exactly in the spot that we met,” the singer explained.
And according to the Big Loud Records signee and Mississippi native he said his plans to fake the private gig to propose to her “just worked out.”
“As far as I know, she was pretty fooled,” he later added.
The chart-topping artist continued to share that earlier in the month, he played a show with Dustin Lynch, where he actually went and asked Caleigh Ryan’s dad to marry his daughter.
“A few months ago I played a show with Dustin Lynch…” he added. “And her parents came out to that but she didn’t come so it was a really good time to ask her dad for permission and all that. So, it really all worked out perfectly and as soon as I got his permission, I went and brought the ring and I held on to it for a couple months and then I faked a private gig in Oxford the day after my Atlanta show this past weekend and it just worked out.”
The country singer/songwriter asked Ryan to marry him on Sunday, August 22.
HARDY took to Instagram to share the exciting news with a photo of himself down on one knee popping the question to his girlfriend. He captioned the photo “i’m not her boyfriend anymore,” quoting lyrics from his fan-favorite track, “Boyfriend,” inspired by his now fiancée from his debut album, A Rock.
Caleigh also shared the news of their engagement with a photo beneath the beautifully lit marquee at Lyric Theater in Oxford, Mississippi, which she captioned, “WE’RE GETTING MARRIED!!!” alongside an emoji of a ring.
“I love you :),” Caleigh’s soon-to-be husband commented on her post.
Additionally, HARDY also performed “One Beer” alongside collaborators Lauren Alaina and Devin Dawson during the ACM Honors ceremony and also teased fans that “something really cool is happening pretty soon.” Also adding, “And also something else really cool is happening really soon.”
Watch his “One Beer” performance from the event below.
