All About Kevin McGarry and Kayla Wallace’s Relationship

Kevin McGarry and Kayla Wallace have a real-life Hallmark love story.

The couple met on the set of When Calls the Heart, both joining the series for season 6, which filmed in the summer of 2018 and premiered the following spring.

Shortly after cameras started rolling for season 8, McGarry and Wallace appeared to confirm their relationship on social media in November 2020. Two years later, they announced their engagement in December 2022, a few days before Christmas.

Though the actors haven’t divulged many details about their romance, McGarry opened up to Entertainment Tonight in March 2024 about their connection, alluding that it started because of their love of music, explaining, “We’ll play music together. … We collaborated.”

When it comes to their upcoming nuptials, he is deferring to his fiancée for the nitty gritty wedding details, including their cake and whether they decide to do a first look ahead of the ceremony. He told the outlet that it’s “whatever Kayla wants” for their special day.

As for whether their friends and When Calls the Heart costars will be in attendance, McGarry noted, “It’s going to be intimate, but I know there will be a couple of familiar faces there.”

Here’s everything to know about Kevin McGarry and Kayla Wallace’s relationship.

They met on the set of When Calls the Heart

Both McGarry and Wallace joined When Calls the Heart during season 6 of the show.

McGarry was cast as one of Hope Valley’s mounties Nathan Grant, while Wallace played Fiona Miller for five seasons before her departure from the show ahead of season 11 due to scheduling conflicts.

Despite their off-screen romance, McGarry and Wallace’s characters are not romantically involved in the longtime series. On When Calls the Heart, Nathan’s love interest is schoolteacher Elizabeth Thornton, portrayed by Krakow.

McGarry and Wallace aren’t the only relationship that has come out of the Hallmark show, either. Krakow and costar Ben Rosenbaum, who portrays Mike Hickam in the show, confirmed their relationship in February 2024 after much speculation from fans.

While the cast are fairly private about their relationships and don’t often discuss them publicly, Krakow alluded to why the show has spawned several romances.

“I think there’s just always been a bit of magic in Hope Valley,” she told PEOPLE in April 2024. “There’s something so special about our show and the energy in Jamestown [British Columbia, Canada], where we shoot.”

Krakow explained that “there’s just something special about the show and the people involved,” adding, “When you put a bunch of special people together in one place, connections are bound to be made.”

They went Instagram official in November 2020

McGarry and Wallace took their relationship public on social media and went Instagram official at the end of 2020.

In November 2020, McGarry posted a photo of two coffee cups in the background with several Polaroid-style pictures of the couple arranged on the table. The actor simply captioned the post, “Photo evidence.”

The following month, Wallace also shared a sweet photo to mark their relationship. She uploaded a snap of a Christmas tree adorned with a small heart ornament that featured a picture of them.

“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear,” she wrote in the caption, quoting the beloved holiday movie Elf.

They got engaged in December 2022

Two years after McGarry and Wallace went public with their relationship, the pair got engaged in December 2022.

They announced their engagement on Dec. 23, posting an Instagram video of Wallace showing off her ring to the camera while they kissed with the caption, “Forever❤️.”

The following spring, McGarry revealed a few details about what they were starting to plan for their wedding during a March 2024 interview with Entertainment Tonight, including whether they would go for traditional or personal vows.

“You know you’ve got an audience,” he said. “You gotta throw a joke or two in there.”

One thing the actors won’t be doing is a choreographed dance, with McGarry adding, “I live my life freestyle as you go. Choreographed, I mean, that’s just too much pressure. I need to just be in the moment.”

They are a musical couple

Both McGarry and Wallace have a musical side they like to bond over.

The Heartland star spoke to Entertainment Tonight about his relationship with his fiancée, noting that “there’s always a chance” that he would get up on stage and sing to her on their wedding day.

“Champagne, I imagine, is being served so … there’s a chance that could happen,” he said. “And Kayla too, We always play … music together.”

In the same interview, McGarry revealed that their shared love of music is “how it all started actually.”

On social media, McGarry and Wallace have shown off their musical abilities separately: He previously posted a December 2018 video playing guitar while he sang along to “Who Says” by John Mayer, as well as a September 2019 clip singing “Brilliant Disguise” by Bruce Springsteen.

Wallace has also posted several snippets over the years showcasing her talents on guitar and piano as well as her singing. In February 2023, the actress posted a black-and-white video playing “Throwing Good After Bad” by Brandi Carlile on the piano while she accompanied on vocals. She later showed off her guitar skills in a May 2021 video.

They’ve appeared on-screen together

In addition to starring in When Calls the Heart, McGarry and Wallace have appeared in several movies together.

The duo teamed up for Hallmark Channel’s 2022 movie Feeling Butterflies, with Wallace portraying Emily, the owner of a butterfly business. In the romantic flick, she delivers monarch butterflies to a  birthday party and meets Garrett, a single dad portrayed by McGarry who, along with his daughter, helps Emily’s business flourish.

Later, in 2022, they also appeared in Hallmark Channel’s My Grown-Up Christmas List, with Wallace playing Taylor, a journalist, and McGarry as Luke, a member of the military. They form a bond over the course of several Christmases, which they spend together and apart.

They have a dog together

McGarry and Wallace are parents to an adorable dog named Darla, who made her online debut in March 2024.

Wallace shared several photos from a visit to Texas on March 1, including a photo of Darla eyeing some delicious-looking dessert and a video of her chasing her own tail. Wallace captioned the Instagram post, “Having a very good time with a very good girl.”

A March 8 post featured a few more pictures of the pup, starting with a snap of the dog wearing sunglasses and a picture of McGarry holding Darla on his lap.

Wallace also shared a birthday post for McGarry on March 18, chock full of photos and videos of the actor posing with Darla. McGarry even joked in the comments, “Is the ‘love of your life’ bit for me or Darla? Because she’s in EVERY photo!”

They spend times with their When Calls the Heart costars

McGarry and Wallace have a great off-screen friendship with their costars Krakow and Rosenbaum.

Over the years, they’ve shared glimpses of their hangouts as a group, including a March 2022 selfie that captured the two couples smiling for the camera. Months later, they took a trip to Italy together, as captured by Rosenbaum in an Instagram post one year later in May 2023.

That same year, the friends enjoyed a visit to New York City in December 2023, with Wallace sharing a selfie of the crew on her Instagram. Krakow posted a video montage of their trip, which involved excursions, meals and other silly moments of the group.

In recent months, McGarry and Wallace visited Krakow and Rosebaum in California in May 2024. The couples reunited in N.Y.C. later in the year with Wallace sharing a video of McGarry, Krakow and Rosenbaum doing a bit in the subway station in July 2024.