This is a love story. A patient love story.
Brad Paisley first saw Kimberly Williams in 1991. He was an aspiring musician on a first date with a local girl in Glen Dale, W.Va. He had taken his date to the movie theater to see the just-released "Father of the Bride," starring Steve Martin, Diane Keaton and a beautiful young actress making her film debut -- Williams. It wasn't until a decade later that Paisley and Williams got together. Patience is a virtue, so the Good Book says.
What happened to Paisley and Williams from 1991 to 2001 to bring the two to the same crossroads in life -- and love -- is a story for the ages.
Paisley's first album, "Who Needs Pictures," was released in 1999. The record produced the No. 1 singles "He Didn't Have to Be" and "We Danced." The album sold more than 1 million copies, and catapulted Paisley to fame. The next year, the Academy of Country Music (ACM) named Paisley the year's Best New Male Vocalist, and the Country Music Association (CMA) granted him the prestigious Horizon Award.
In of February 2001, Paisley was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. His hits include "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishing Song), "Whiskey Lullaby," "When I Get Where I'm Going" with Dolly Parton, "Online," "Letter to Me" and "I'm Still a Guy."
In 2009, he released his "American Saturday Night" album. The first single off the album, "Then," catapulted to No. 1, making it Paisley's 14th No. 1 hit. He was nominated for seven CMA awards that year, including Entertainer of the Year. He also co-hosted the event for the first time alongside Carrie Underwood. His latest album is "Moonshine in the Trunk."
Williams was still in college when she made her movie debut as Steve Martin's daughter in "Father of the Bride." She reprised her role in 1995's "Father of the Bride Part II." She won critical acclaim in 1996 for her performance on the short-lived drama "Relativity." She made her Broadway debut in 1998 as Sunny Freitag in "The Last Night of Ballyhoo."
She has guest-starred on numerous TV shows, including "Tales From The Crypt," "George Lopez" and "Less Than Perfect." She is also well known for her roles in made-for-television films, such as "Safe House," "The Christmas Shoes" and "Lucky 7." In addition, she portrayed the role of Laura Parker in "Shade," a short film she wrote and directed.
In 2001, she landed a supporting role on the family sitcom "According to Jim" as Jim Belushi's quirky sister-in-law. And her most recent acting credits include a pivotal role on the hit ABC series "Nashville." She portrayed the role of the devious Peggy Samper, the former co-worker and love interest of Mayor Teddy Conrad, who is portrayed by actor Eric Close.
Now, here's how Paisley-Williams love story became a patient love story.
You see, the country star fell for his future wife long before he even met her. Ten years earlier, as a 19-year-old aspiring singer in tiny Glen Dale, he had taken that local girl to see "Father of the Bride," the movie in which Williams made her film debut.
By the time the sequel came out, Paisley was 23, living in Nashville, and feeling miserable because that girl -- the one in Glen Dale -- had dumped him for his best friend. Discouraged and down, he decided to go see "Father of the Bride Part II" -- alone. Sitting in the dark theater he watched Williams again.
"I thought, 'She seems like a great girl -- smart and funny and all those things that are so hard to find,'" he recalled to Good Housekeeping magazine.
Five years later, Brad was still single but his career was zipping along in high gear, with the Academy of Country Music having named him Male Vocalist of the Year. His latest album, "Part II," featured several songs he'd written about the old girlfriend.
"It even had a song about going to 'Father of the Bride,'" he explained. So when the time came to cast the music video for "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)," Paisley thought of Williams.
"It felt natural to ask her to be in it," he stated. "Even though I didn't know if she was married, divorced, or just out of rehab." During their first phone call about the video, they chatted with such ease that soon they were talking almost daily.
Later, when Paisley called her to say he was coming to L.A., she jumped right in and asked him to dinner. After the dinner, both were convinced that something magical had happened.
"Maybe two people in love always feel like there's a bigger power at work," he confessed, as she nodded in agreement: "We just felt like all the events of our lives had come together for us to meet right when we did."
Then, on a clear and starry night, he walked her out to the end of the Venice Beach pier and told her that they were meant to be in each other's lives. And he vowed he'd always be there for her.
Six months later, on that same pier, he surprised her with an engagement ring. "He proposed right in front of the public toilets," Williams told Good Housekeeping, as they both cracked up.
The two were married on March 15, 2003, at Stauffer Chapel on the campus of Pepperdine University after a nine-month engagement.
In February 2007, Williams gave birth to the couple's first child, a highly energetic boy they named William Huckleberry Paisley (called Huck for short). On April 17, 2009, they welcomed a second son, Jasper Warren Paisley, into the world.
Paisley and Williams-Paisley have been married for 11 years. He says their marriage works so well because they made a commitment to make it work, no matter the circumstances.
"I don't know if there's a secret," Paisley tells Wonderwall. "I think you have to have the same sort of priorities and outlook. You're sharing a car. You've got to want to be going to the same place. You have to decide early on that failure's not an option and that you're going to evolve together. You're going to change. We've been together now for a decade. You're going to change. I'm so different than the total hillbilly she met."
And Paisley said Williams is the perfect fit for him.
"She's so down to earth -- there's no pretentiousness," he told Redbook magazine, according to the Huffington Post. "With Kim I realized that if I ever let her go, not only could I never do any better, but I would always regret it. So I had to marry her. I had no choice!"
