Back in 2015, Jelly Roll was far from the success story he became. Then, he was an up-and-coming singer and rapper who was barely supporting himself. “I was like, touring, living in, like, a ’97 high-top Southern Comfort van, and was, like, a**-broke when I met [Bunnie],” he told “The Golden Hour” podcast, recalling that her living situation was significantly different, living in a swanky penthouse condo.

He was performing at the Las Vegas Country Saloon when Bunnie Xo walked into his life. “We hit it off,” he told Taste of Country. “She said she fell in love with the saddest eyes in the room.” According to Jelly Roll, the connection that he and his future bride felt with each other during that first meeting was both immediate and palpable. “I felt her soul,” he explained. “When I hugged her, I could just feel the genuineness of her. I could tell it wasn’t an act.”

Inconveniently, Bunnie was in a relationship at the time they met, albeit an abusive and unhappy one. As time passed, the two remained in touch. It wasn’t until Bunnie ended her relationship that her friendship with Jelly Roll transformed from platonic to romantic. She invited him to stay with her at the condo so he wouldn’t have to sleep in his van. “It’s a white trash love story,” he lovingly remarked on the podcast.