Gabby Barrett + Cade Foehner — Country’s Greatest Love Stories
Gabby Barrett and Cade Foehner's love story began back when the pair were contestants on the 16th season American Idol in 2018. The couple met fairly early on during their time on the TV singing competition, and their courtship quickly turned into a serious relationship -- though Barrett says she was the one who initiated their first-ever hangout session.
"I had to get to know him first," the singer tells PopCulture. "So the thing was, I saw him originally. He has a really cool look, my husband ... He has lots of hair, just [a] super-cool rocker dude, and I wanted to make a video with him of us singing together. And so I initiated it.
"I didn't think he liked me at first," she adds, "but then he texted me, and I was like, 'Oh, I see what's going on here.' So it was a mutual thing, but I went after him first."
Both artists made the shortlist during their season of Idol, with Foehner being eliminated in the Top 5 and Barrett finishing third. However, the biggest takeaway from the show, for both, was their newfound romance.
Foehner proposed to Barrett in March of 2019, and from there, the couple didn't waste much time before tying the knot: They wed in a Garrison, Texas, ceremony in front of 100 guests on Oct. 5 of the same year.
Before the ceremony, Barrett explained to People that she and Foehner owed their strong connection in part to their mutual faith and family values. "We're both excited to make such a serious and holy commitment before the Lord, with our family and friends there to help us celebrate," she shared at the time. "Becoming one family has been the thing we've looked forward to the most."
Since getting married, Barrett has tapped into her relationship as musical inspiration for songs such as "The Good Ones" and "Hall of Fame," which celebrate the joy of finding lasting love.
"[Married life has been] wonderful!" Barrett told The Boot at the 2019 CMA Awards, just over a month after the two tied the knot. "We went on a short honeymoon to Florida, to the beach for a couple of days, and it's literally the best.
"He's my best friend in the whole world. It's nice that we get to live together. But seriously, married life is the best," she gushed.
In 2021, Barrett and Foehner grew their young family: They welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Baylah May, on Jan. 18.