Ty Herndon

It's a poignant take on the most wonderful time of the year, but it comes to a happy ending.

"Alex and I made it official here in Tennessee last night," Herndon says.

After opening up publicly about the most difficult chapters of his personal life, Ty Herndon says he feels liberated onstage.

Herndon's fiancé Alex might not know much about country music -- but he's excited to learn.

"It’s more important than ever that Nashville come together to send a strong message," Herndon says.

“As soon as I heard this song, I knew that Terri Clark was the only person I wanted to sing it with me."

"I have met the person I know I’m gonna spend the rest of my life with."

Only a country music songwriter could turn a story like this into one every single person in America can relate to.

What a night!

Country singers are known for being storytellers -- trying to spin meaning out of heartbreak and hard times.

Herndon publicly came out in 2014, but his story begins in Decatur, Ala., nearly 40 years earlier.

The annual event is back after the COVID-19 pandemic!