Honestly, if you’ve ever sat through a Brandi Carlile concert, you know she doesn't just sing songs; she tells stories that make you feel like you're sitting in her living room. But the one story fans always want the "inside track" on is her own. Specifically, people are constantly asking: who is Brandi Carlile married to? It isn't a secret, but it is a pretty great story. Brandi is married to Catherine Shepherd.
They didn't meet at some glitzy Hollywood after-party or a Nashville songwriter's round. Nope. It was way more low-key and, frankly, kinda nerdy in the best way possible. They actually fell in love over the phone while talking about logistics for a charity project.
The phone call that changed everything
Back in 2009, Catherine was living in London. She spent about ten years working as the charity coordinator for Paul McCartney. Think about that for a second. Her job was basically helping a Beatle give away money and support good causes. Brandi, meanwhile, was stateside, working on her own nonprofit, the Looking Out Foundation, and specifically her "Fight the Fear" campaign.
They started talking because Catherine was coordinating a donation of Beatles memorabilia for Brandi's cause.
Here is the funny part: Brandi literally thought she was talking to a senior citizen. Because Catherine was so composed, wise, and professional on the phone, Brandi just assumed she was talking to someone in their 60s. She even joked later that she figured Catherine might be closer to Paul McCartney’s age. They talked and emailed for a solid year before they ever laid eyes on each other.
When they finally met backstage at a show in New York City in 2010, the shock was real.
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They were both in their late 20s.
Brandi has described that moment as "shocking to say the least." It’s one of those rare instances where the intellectual connection was built so deeply before the physical one even existed. By the time they met in that NYC green room, the groundwork was already laid.
Three weddings and a whole lot of goats
By 2012, they were ready to make it official. But they didn't just do one ceremony. They did three.
They got married in Wareham, Massachusetts on September 15, 2012. This was a big deal, happening right around the time same-sex marriage was becoming a legal reality in more places. But the week leading up to it was absolute chaos. Brandi has shared stories about how their dog, Bailey, had to be rushed to the vet on the actual wedding day. Even worse, one of their goats—a guy named Tim—passed away right before the ceremony.
It was messy. It was human. It was perfectly them.
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After the Massachusetts wedding, they had a ceremony in Brandi’s home state of Washington. Then, they flew across the pond to London for a civil ceremony so Catherine’s UK-based friends and family could celebrate.
Building a life in Maple Valley
Today, the couple lives in a rural area of Maple Valley, Washington. It’s not a gated mansion in Beverly Hills. It’s a compound shared with Brandi's longtime musical collaborators, the Hanseroth twins (Tim and Phil). In fact, the family ties are super tight—Phil Hanseroth is actually Brandi’s brother-in-law because he married her sister, Tiffany.
Catherine isn't just "the wife" in the background, either. She's the executive director of the Looking Out Foundation. She’s the one turning Brandi’s big, sometimes "crazy" ideas into actual programs that help people.
They have two daughters: Evangeline Ruth (born in 2014) and Elijah (born in 2018).
Their journey to parenthood wasn't a straight line. For Evangeline, they used IVF. Brandi provided the eggs, and Catherine carried the pregnancy. Brandi has been incredibly vulnerable in her memoir, Broken Horses, about the "identity crisis" she felt during that time. She wasn't the one pregnant, and she struggled to figure out her role in a world that didn't have many blueprints for queer parenting.
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By the time Elijah came along via IUI, they had it down. Brandi says they call Elijah their "joy bomb" because she’s just this burst of energy who finally got their serious older daughter, Evangeline, to start belly laughing.
Addressing those divorce rumors
In late 2025, some rumors started swirling because of the themes in some of Brandi's newer music. People love to speculate that a "sad album" means a breakup.
However, Brandi and Catherine actually sat down for a rare joint interview recently to clear the air. They basically said that just because art explores tension or hardship doesn't mean the marriage is over. If anything, they've been more public lately, appearing together at the Kennedy Center Honors and various red carpets, looking as solid as ever.
Catherine has also branched out into her own creative endeavors lately. She’s an actor and writer, having worked on projects like The Buccaneers and even appearing in the Paddington movies. She’s a powerhouse in her own right, which is probably why the marriage works—she isn't eclipsed by Brandi’s massive spotlight.
What to take away from their story
If you're looking for a "perfect" celebrity romance, this is as close as it gets, mostly because it isn't perfect. It's built on:
- Shared values: They met through charity work, and that remains the center of their lives.
- Humor: You have to have a sense of humor to handle a wedding day vet emergency.
- Privacy: They share enough to be authentic but keep the "sacred" stuff for themselves.
If you want to support the work they do together, check out the Looking Out Foundation. It’s the best way to see the actual fruit of their partnership. You can also dive into Brandi's memoir, Broken Horses, where she goes into much more detail about the early days of their relationship and the complexities of building a "non-traditional" family in a very traditional world.
Stream Brandi’s latest tracks with an ear for the lyrics now that you know the person behind the inspiration. It changes the way you hear the music.