Michael Ray and Carly Pearce Each Share Why Their Marriage Didn't Work

Country music stars Carly Pearce and Michael Ray were two halves of a very brief romance story that lasted for about two years. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for their relationship to fall apart and for the couple to divorce, despite getting married incredibly quickly.

But what happened to these two singers who were once in love? Here's a breakdown of their relationship timeline.

The pair's relationship started as many relationships do in the age of social media: through Instagram DMs.

"I've had a crush on him for a really long time and just always thought there was more to that pretty face, and there totally is," Carly told Taste of Country in August 2018. "I did what every girl does in 2018, slid into the DMs."

Though she admitted that it took Michael a bit to catch on that she was trying to flirt with him, he eventually got the hint.

Their first date was reportedly at the Nashville Palace, and it didn't take long for Carly to decide that she was going to marry him.

"He put his arm around me and we looked at each other, and I promise you, I went to my bus that night to get on tour and I told my band, 'I'm gonna marry Michael Ray,'" she told People.

Just mere months after meeting, Michael and Carly got engaged while on vacation together in Mexico, with Michael popping the question alongside a five-carat diamond.

“Carly, you make it all make sense, every step of my life good and bad was leading me to you,” Michael wrote in the now-deleted Instagram post announcing their engagement, per Billboard.

“You are the biggest blessing I have and will ever receive. You are my best friend, my partner in crime, my workout, grilled chicken, wine drinking classic country Opry loving, Nashville palace hanging, Publix grocery shopping, this is us watching, living room late night dancing, laugh until we cry soul mate.”

That same night, Carly also posted a photo celebrating their engagement and gushing about her husband-to-be.

"All in one simple ‘yes’, I said ‘yes’ to love, ‘yes’ to peace, ‘yes’ to faithfulness, ‘yes’ to respect, ‘yes’ to kindness, ‘yes’ to trust, ‘yes’ to patience and ‘yes’ to never settling. Michael, I would’ve married you the first night we hung out because I knew then you were the one," she said in the now-deleted post.

Carly and Michael held their ceremony just under a year later at Drakewood Farm, a venue that's about 15 miles outside of Nashville.

“Knowing without a shadow of a doubt that I didn’t settle for something less than truly the person that I think was made for me is something that I am thankful for,” Carly said, per People.

Michael echoed that sentiment, saying, “No matter what, I have her in my corner. No matter what, she has me in her corner. I tell her, you’re never going to face anything alone. Never will there be anything in life that you don’t look over and I’m standing beside you.”

Unfortunately, their love story wasn't a long-lasting one, as just eight months later, the couple filed for divorce. Both artists have spoken publicly about their relationship, citing their whirlwind romance as part of what ultimately led them to fall apart.

"To be honest, I think I knew in the beginning, or around that time, that this was something we probably should have slowed down," Michael told Taste of Country. "We didn't do counseling, we didn't do any of that beforehand, and I think that — there was moments, that I look back now and I'm like, 'Why didn't I speak up on that?' That was one of the first times I realized that her and I are opposite."

"I did everything that I knew how to do," Carly told People of the divorce. "It takes two people to work on something."

"This was not a flippant decision," she told the outlet of their decision to split. "This was something that I really took time to make sure I was doing the right thing. It was very clear that this was not the marriage that I wanted."