Who Is Parker McCollum's Wife? All About Hallie Ray Light

Parker McCollum has been married to his wife, Hallie Ray Light, since March 2022. They are currently expecting their first child

Parker McCollum is about to have a “Hell of a Year” as he prepares to welcome his first child with his wife, Hallie Ray Light.

The “Pretty Heart” singer married Light on March 28, 2022, and nearly two years later, the pair announced they were expecting a baby.

Ahead of the couple's nuptials, McCollum opened up to PEOPLE at the ACM Awards about his excitement for the wedding — and why he wouldn’t be performing.

"It's a good thing to feel like I got that part of my life right," he said. "I don't think I'll be singing. I'll just enjoy — it's all about her anyway, it's her day. So I'm just grateful that she's choosing to spend it with me."

Light has been supportive of McCollum as his career has taken off, often posting pictures of the two attending industry events together.

So, who is Parker McCollum’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Hallie Ray Light and her relationship with the country star.

She has a clothing brand with her sisters

Light grew up in McAlester, Oklahoma, where she was a cheerleader in high school with hopes of going to Oklahoma State University, she told her local paper, the McAlester News-Capital, when she was a senior. She ultimately graduated from the university in 2019 with a degree in marketing.

Now, Light runs a clothing brand with her two sisters, Kaylee and Kam, called Kihk — a combination of each of their initials.

She and McCollum met early on in his career

McCollum met Light through a mutual friend, just as his country music career was taking off — however, she wasn’t initially impressed by him.

“We were both young and probably weren’t ready for it, but a buddy of mine had been telling me about her and I just really liked her name Hallie Ray Light. I started trying to put that name in a song before I’d even met her,” McCollum told Country Now in August 2022. “Then she ended up coming out to a show and didn’t stick around too long. I don’t think she liked me a whole lot, but I was still pretty hell-bent on writing that song and putting her name in it.”

In an interview with 98-3 Wild Country, he added that the first night he met her was his first time on a tour bus, and he thought she wasn’t very impressed by his behavior as it “wasn’t up to her standards.” The country star said Light left within 10 minutes and he spent nine months chasing her until she agreed to come to another show.

He told Country Now that he ended up writing the song inspired by her name in an effort to get her attention as they talked back and forth. Eventually, after she came to the second show and heard the song, Light decided to give him a chance.

“I think we started dating that night,” he said.

She and McCollum briefly broke up while they were long-distance

However, their relationship wasn’t easy from the get-go. Light was in nursing school at the time and the two had to date long distance, which proved to be a challenge for both.

He told Country Now that Light’s parents had experienced being long distance in their own relationship and gave advice to the young couple, but there were still times they struggled.

“She’s kind of just like her dad, super laid back and chill and very low maintenance,” he said. “I think she just kind of understood from the beginning that, that was just what it was. That’s what I was doing and if we wanted it to work, that’s what we were gonna have to do.”

However, the two did break up at the end of 2020 for “some goofy reason,” he told PEOPLE in August 2021, causing her to miss his debut at the Grand Ole Opry.

“I don't even remember what the reason was. We were still broken up and we were trying to work things out,” he said. “But I walked off stage that night and I was like, 'I don't ever want to do anything like this again without her here.’ "

She and McCollum got engaged in 2021

Six months later, McCollum popped the question to Light on July 1, 2021. He told PEOPLE that he was completely sure he was making the right decision when he got down on one knee.

"I couldn't wait to ask her to marry me," McCollum said. "There was no backup plan and no hesitation. I didn't overthink one thing. I was like, 'It can't get any better than her.' There was no doubt in my mind that I was making the right decision. She saved my life in a way. I don't think I was headed down the right road."

Light posted about her excitement on Instagram with a photo carousel capturing the special moment.

“I get to spend forever loving the man of my dreams!” she wrote in the caption. “God’s timing is everything & more. I love you fiancé 🤍 cheers to FOREVER!!!”

She and McCollum wed in March 2022

Less than a year later, the happy couple got married on March 28, 2022. Though McCollum joked he wouldn’t be performing at his own wedding in the weeks before it, he said he would have loved to recruit George Strait or John Mayer to play.

"And I can't afford either of them, so they won't be there," he jokingly said to PEOPLE.

The wedding occurred at Boxwood Manor in McCollum’s home state, Texas. Light stunned in a simple strapless white dress while McCollum kept it traditional in a black tux. They opted for white bouquets and Light performed a choreographed dance during the reception.

A year later, McCollum revealed the song he dreams of covering also happened to be the couple's first dance song at their wedding.

"'One More Day' by Diamond Rio. I've always loved that song,” he told PEOPLE in May 2023. “That was my wife and I's first dance song at our wedding, so I think that'd be cool to cut that. And I'm always singing it."

McCollum likes to write music about her

A year into their marriage, McCollum said he continued to be inspired by Light, and was even influenced to write a few songs about her — but with a twist.

"It's hard not to write songs about her or think about her when I'm writing songs, [but] I really like heartbreak love songs about everything going terribly wrong," McCollum told PEOPLE in May 2023. "So usually she'll inspire something, and I'll change it to make it sad and dark, which she's not always a fan of."

He added that with the love he has for her, it’s difficult to stray away from writing about her.

"With someone like that, it's impossible to not end up writing a little something about them," he said.

However, while he’s performing he admitted his mind is blank and focusing on the show, rather than wandering to thoughts of her.

“Most of the time I'm just trying to be into the show!" he said. "It's just been such a crazy year, and she's done such a good job at just balancing a life where it's all about me all the time, and I do my best to try to make it about her as much as I can. She's such a terrific one-in-a-million person."

She and McCollum are expecting their first baby

The couple are currently expecting their first child together. McCollum and Light announced the happy news on Instagram in February 2024.

"God’s little blessing. We Iove you so much already, Baby M!" they captioned the post.

In April 2024, Light debuted her baby bump on the red carpet at the CMT Awards in Austin, Texas. McCollum also revealed that his wife is carrying a baby boy, who is set to arrive in August.

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