Why the Ryman? As he told Heather Froglear and Kelli Green of Riverside, Calif. station KFRG during a video interview this week, the place has a special meaning for a few different reasons.

"We always said if it weren't for country music we never would have met," says Brantley.

"We met at the CMT Awards June 6 [in 2011], and I was actually going to propose to her on June 6. I told my mom about it and she let me in in a little information. She and my dad are divorced, and they had gotten married on June 6. And it's also doomsday. So I decided not to do it [on that day]."