How Did Miranda Lambert Meet Her Husband, Brendan McLoughlin?

Fans have been gushing over Miranda Lambert and Brendan McLoughlin‘s sweet love story since their surprise secret wedding announcement in early 2019, but many may not recall the unique way the couple first met.

Lambert and McLoughlin, a former NYPD officer, first crossed paths in 2018 when she was visiting the Big Apple to make media rounds in support of the Pistol Annies album, Interstate Gospel. In fact, she has her Pistol Annies bandmates, Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe, to thank for their initial meeting.

In a 2019 interview with The New York Times, Lambert recalled meeting McLoughlin for the first time and shared how Presley and Monroe played an important role in their relationship.

“Our record came out the day after Halloween, and we did Good Morning America. My husband was doing security there for the show,” she explained. “My girlfriends, the Annies, saw him and knew I might be ready to hang out with someone. They invited him to our show behind my back. They plucked him for me. My security guy Tom, he was in on it too. He said to me, ‘He’s here. And he’s pretty.’

In honor of Valentine’s Day I wanted to share some news. I met the love of my life. And we got hitched! My heart is full. Thank you Brendan Mcloughlin for loving me for…. me. ❤️#theone pic.twitter.com/EgcerqUqEd

— Miranda Lambert (@mirandalambert) February 16, 2019

Following a whirlwind romance, the couple tied the knot privately on January 26, 2019. Lambert waited until mid-February to share the news with fans.

“I was married before, and it was a huge wedding and everything was very public. So was my divorce. I learned then that it’s not for everybody else. This is my actual life. With Brendan, I made it a point to keep it as private as I could for as long as I could,” Lambert later told People of her previous marriage to Blake Shelton and her decision to wed secretly.

When marrying the former law enforcement officer, Lambert also took on a new role: stepmom. McLoughlin is a father to a 3-year-old son that he parents his ex, Kaihla Rettinger.

Months after their wedding, Lambert told Extra, “My stepson is amazing. I’m loving that whole phase, and I’ve raised a million dogs, so I feel like I’ve got that part of my womanly/motherly thing is full, so this is a whole new journey. It’s great.”

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Throughout the past few years, fans have followed the couple’s adventures on Instagram. When the world shut down in 2020, the couple made their own fun when they embarked on a 1,000-mile camping trip in their new Airstream, which they nicknamed “The Sherriff.” They documented their trip on social media and Lambert revealed that they became experts at living the road life.

“B drives too and is the best navigator. We can set up camp in under 10 minutes once we pull in. Took a few times but we worked out the kinks,” she wrote at the time. “One of my favorite things on this trip was making dad’s classic recipe ‘campfire casserole’ in our Dutch Oven on the camp fire coals! Of course, we had to face time Rick Lambert to make sure we knew the tricks of the trade, but Brendan has cooking anything in this cast iron down to an art now.”

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The “Bluebird” singer later opened up about their relationship during an appearance on the Taste of Country Nights radio show.

“We’re pretty much newlyweds since we’ve only been married a year and a half, but we’ve already survived a pandemic so I think we’re golden,” the Texas native said in July of 2020.

McLoughlin has become a frequent guest star in Lambert’s music videos, including “Settling Down,” “Tequila Does (Telemitry Remix)” and “If I Was A Cowboy.” He’s been by her side as she celebrated career accomplishments as well, including the opening of Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa Nashville and her induction into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame.