We Can't Look Away From These Red Flags In Kimberly Williams-Paisley & Brad Paisley's Marriage

We at Women love Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Brad Paisley together. The "Father of the Bride" actress and stalwart country musician married in 2003 — and haven't looked back since. They've welcomed two children and always stun on the red carpet, but, as much as we hate to say it, their relationship isn't without red flags.

One of the biggest we can't look away from is how little time they actually spend together. Like other celebrity couples, quality time between the two appears to be rare. Brad told People he's usually away from home at least three days a week (potentially even longer when he's on tour), and that keeping the home fires burning is usually left to Kimberly. Though having set roles isn't necessarily an issue, the lack of time together, along with the expectation that Kimberly will take care of the couple's house and children, could take its toll. Particularly as she too has a thriving career in the spotlight. 

Balancing two busy careers has caused issues in Kimberly's relationships before. She dated tennis pro Pete Sampras before Brad, and the athlete said of their split, "Neither of us was going to make career sacrifices we might end up regretting or resenting. We're two people with two demanding careers, and that opens itself to problems." And there are a few more red flags between Brad and Kimberly that have us concerned.

Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley went from strangers to spouses fast. It's a common misconception that they met when she appeared in his music video for "I'm Gonna Miss Her," which debuted in February 2002. However, she confirmed on the "Sibling Revelry with Kate Hudson & Oliver Hudson" podcast they started dating in 2001, soon after he asked her to be in the music video.

They got engaged in 2002, but Kimberly admitted Brad didn't waste time before he popped the question. "It was about eight months [after we started dating] but, yeah, still pretty quick," she said on "The Meredith Vieira Show." And they didn't slow down in the run up to tying the knot, either. They walked down the aisle in March 2003, about a year and a half after they started dating.

While every couple is different, and timelines vary by relationships and circumstance, John Amodeo, a marriage and family therapist, recommended to Verily waiting closer to the two year mark before making such a big commitment. "I feel nervous when I hear about people getting married within a year (or even two) of meeting," Amodeo said. "It might work out okay if they are exceptionally well-matched and mature. But it takes time to know a person and time to see each other's darker side and know how each of their 'shadow' sides will interact with each other," he added.

Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley come from very different backgrounds. While Brad is very connected to his southern roots — he was born in West Virginia and moved to Nashville for college and to pursue his music career — Kimberly was a chic, big city girl from New York. "I was not expecting to live on a farm, I was not expecting to ride horses, things like that," she said on "Today." "I was a city girl," she added. "It took some getting used to, this whole farm life thing." Kimberly and Brad would go on to reside in Tennessee with their children.

Though making slight changes to your lifestyle to adapt to your partner's wants and needs is often necessary, it's a problem if Kimberly felt she had to completely overhaul her life to fit in with Brad's. It's a similar red flag to one we noticed in Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's relationship, as Stefani was no natural country girl when she started dating her fellow "The Voice" coach. If Kimberly felt she had to change drastically to keep Brad interested, that could lead to resentment. Importantly, though, there's a big difference between forced change and evolving naturally. If Kimberly genuinely grew to enjoy the country lifestyle and her new normal with Brad, the major shift likely wouldn't cause an issue. 

Not only was Kimberly Williams-Paisley not familiar with the country life when she started dating Brad Paisley, the two have also admitted they're different people beyond their upbringings. One of the most notable differences is that Kimberly and Brad have opposing opinions on keeping things neat and tidy. Kimberly told Good Housekeeping she takes keeping their house organized seriously, while Brad errs on the messy side. "I figure, we have a housekeeper, so it can wait 'til Friday," he said, to which Kimberly responded, "He comes home and it's like a tornado hit!"

"The Christmas Shoes" star even shared a glimpse of Brad's unkempt closet on Instagram, which included clothes strewn over the floor. "I just want you guys to know what I'm dealing with. What is going on in the closet here?" she asked. Brad then said from behind the camera, "It's organized," before claiming he'd sorted his garments into a clean and dirty piles.

Though small differences like one person preferring things neat and the other not minding a mess doesn't seem like a huge deal on the surface, multiple small disagreements could build up and become bigger issues over time. It's important the duo focus on understanding why the other likes things the way they do and communicate effectively about what they need in an attempt to avoid the other feeling dissatisfied or unheard.

Though Brad Paisley knew early on that Kimberly Williams-Paisley (who's worn some outfits that just didn't work) was the one for him, after seeing her in "Father of the Bride" and "Father of the Bride Part II," it took her a little longer to fall for the country music star. "He stalked me. That's the long and the short of it," she joked on "CBS This Morning." "He says it was love at first sight for him, and for me it was more like love at first month or two," she added.

While the concept of "The One" is outdated and rife with patriarchy, we're not saying Kimberly taking longer than Brad to realize she was in love is an undeniable red flag. However, it is eyebrow raising that Brad had to work hard to get Kimberly on-board, and if she based her attraction to the "Whiskey Lullaby" hitmaker on how much he liked her, that's not the basis for a strong relationship. As Sharon Gilchrest O'Neill, a licensed marriage and family therapist, told Brides, one person believing they felt love at first sight while the other didn't could be a problem. "Often that spouse went along with what seemed to feel good, but over time realizes that they can no longer ignore certain behaviors about their spouse," she shared.