Hardy Marries Caleigh Ryan in Nashville
Hardy is a married man! The country singer-songwriter married his longtime love, Caleigh Ryan, in Nashville on Saturday (Oct. 29).
People confirmed the news, also providing details from the ceremony and photos of the happy couple. Ryan wore a classic, strapless wedding gown she custom-designed by Naama & Amat for the occasion, incorporating personal touches into her final bridal look. The bride used her dress as her "something new," while Hardy's baby bonnet -- provided by his mom -- was her "something old." Her grandma's lucky penny served as her "something borrowed," while her late aunt's aquamarine ring was her "something blue."
"I love those little family ties," Ryan explained. "I've never been passed down an heirloom like that before, so it really means a lot to me."
Meanwhile, Hardy incorporated some personal backstory into his wedding look, too. The star wore a bow tie and custom gold cuff links that belonged to his late great-uncle, along with a STITCHED suit.
The couple said their vows and did their first look privately. "We want the ceremony to be, like, 30 seconds long," Hardy explained ahead of the big day. "We just want to have a big party for everybody. I'm trying to avoid having a complete meltdown in front of everybody, and I don't think I could get through vows at the altar, and she's the same. The vows will be for us. It doesn't have to be for everyone else."
Speaking of everyone else, Hardy and Ryan's guest list included about 350 friends and family -- including several country stars. Dierks Bentley, Morgan Wallen, Lauren Alaina, Devin Dawson, Mitchell Tenpenny, Brantley Gilbert, Travis Denning, RaeLynn and Jameson Rodgers were all in attendance, and songwriter Smith Ahnquist -- one of Hardy's best friends -- officiated the wedding.
The cocktail hour that took place after the ceremony included two "beer burros," who carried baskets of beer around to serve to guests. That was Ryan's idea, according to a social media post in which she said the beer burros were "literally the first non-negotiable wedding planning decision I made when we started."
The reception also featured a mini-tattoo parlor courtesy of tattoo artist Mike Stoll. Among those who took advantage of the offering were Ryan's mom and RaeLynn, who documented the experience on Instagram, and subsequently shared the finished product -- a small cowboy boot with a daisy sticking out of it, perhaps in tribute to her one-year-old daughter Daisy -- on her Instagram stories.
Hardy and Ryan had been dating since early 2018. She works in marketing for a hotel company, and he appears prominently on her Instagram page.
Hardy even wrote a song titled "Boyfriend" after a conversation the couple had while on vacation in Florida several years ago. The song talks about not wanting to be a boyfriend anymore, because he really wants to be a husband, and Hardy referenced it when he turned to social media to reveal that he had proposed in August of 2021.
"I’m not her boyfriend anymore," Hardy wrote to accompany a photo of the proposal:
The joyous occasion comes just a month after Hardy sustained "significant injuries" in a bus crash that also injured three others. He canceled two tour dates to give himself time to recover in the wake of the accident.
Hardy — whose full name is Michael Hardy — first broke into country music as a songwriter for artists including Florida Georgia Line. In 2019, he helped write "God's Country," a song Blake Shelton turned into a No. 1 hit. That helped launch Hardy's career as an artist. While "Rednecker" stalled just outside the Top 20, the follow-up, "One Beer," became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
"Give Heaven Some Hell" peaked just outside the Top 10. Hardy's current single is "Wait in the Truck," a collaboration with Lainey Wilson.