Who Is Parker McCollum's Wife? All About Hallie Ray Light
Parker McCollum and Hallie Ray Light welcomed their first child in August 2024
Parker McCollum and his wife, Hallie Ray Light, are about to have a “Hell of a Year” as new parents.
The couple, who wed on March 28, 2022, welcomed their first child, son Major Yancey Tyler McCollum, in August 2024.
"Major is healthy! Mama is healthy! Dad is the best dad to ever exist — & God is so good," Light wrote on Instagram days after giving birth.
In March 2024, McCollum and Light celebrated their second wedding anniversary. "My best friend till the end. 2 years down and 100 to go! Love you forever!" the "Pretty Heart" singer wrote on Instagram.
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 welcomed their first child in August 2024
McCollum and Light are parents! The couple welcomed their son, Major Yancey Tyler McCollum, on Aug. 8, 2024, and they've been "soaking up all the newborn snuggles" ever since.
Prior to giving birth, Light debuted her baby bump on the red carpet at the CMT Awards in Austin, Texas.
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