With a truckload of confetti and all the noise-makers legally available in an open-carry state, we herewith bestow our hurrahs on Tim McGraw and Faith Hill on this, their 23rd wedding anniversary.

When they tied the knot on October 6, 1996, Tim was just coming off his two-week-at-No. 1 hit, “She Never Lets It Go to Her Heart,” and Faith was on the verge of releasing “I Can't Do That Anymore,” which would eventually peak at No. 8.

Apart from the usual fanzine stuff and tabloid chatter, their union would produce three daughters -- Gracie, Maggie and Audrey -- and such duet hits as “I Need You, “It's Your Love,” “Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me,” “Angry All the Time” and “The Rest of Our Life.” And it would see each of them bloom as movie actors.

Perhaps forgotten as the ages roll on was CMT's part in sparking this superstar romance. I was at the Country Music Association offices in March 1996 when the two budding stars announced that CMT was sponsoring their Spontaneous Combustion Tour, their first circuit together. At the time, they were not considered an “item,” but they were certainly flirtatious during the press conference.

Not realizing the romantic importance of what I was witnessing, here's the just-facts story I wrote.

Now you know how it all began.