Meet Reba McEntire's Stunning Daughter-In-Law Marissa Blackstock

Reba McEntire has always had a super close relationship with her son, Shelby Blackstock, and now, there's even more love to go around! In 2022, Shelby wed Marissa Blackstock (nee Branch) — and let's just say, the love these two share is like something straight out of a fairy tale. 

For starters, the couple had their ceremony at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. At the time, the bride told People that there were several reasons for the choice in venue. For starters, her mom had worked at the park, and she'd loved spending time there both with her and her grandmother. After her grandmother's passing, she stopped going as much — but then, when she met Shelby, they went together, and it once again became a fixture in her life. Shelby even went on to propose to Marissa at Epcot, making it the perfect place for the couple's pre-ceremony dinner. 

In the time since, Marissa has jumped at every opportunity to liken their marriage to a fairy tale, with numerous Instagram posts of them posing at the park, along with sweet quotes as captions and iconic Disney songs in the background. That said, Marissa is also conscious of sharing the not-so-easy moments on social media, too. 

Even with all of Shelby and Marissa Blackstock's happy moments, the couple has faced some struggles since becoming husband and wife. As Marissa has shared in a few Instagram updates, they've had to undergo fertility treatments. 

Marissa's first update came in November 2023. In an Instagram post, she shared that after a year of trying to fall pregnant without any kind of intervention, their first cycle of fertility treatments hadn't been successful. She also shared that she was speaking about it because despite so many people facing the same struggles, not many were talking about it. "The silence around fertility struggles needs to be broken. It's a tougher and more common journey than many realize," she wrote. 

Sadly, a few months later, the couple had still not had success. Taking to Instagram again, Marissa admitted that she'd been devastated by every month that went by without falling pregnant. "These past few months have been a whirlwind of hope and heartbreak, a constant battle against feelings of inadequacy and the suffocating silence that comes with this struggle," she said. She also doubled down on needing to break the silence, and sent her love to anyone going through fertility issues of their own. "You're not alone. We're in this together, through the highs, the lows, and every heart-wrenching moment in between," she wrote. 

Even with the heartbreak she and her husband have faced in trying to become parents, Marissa Blackstock has taken to Instagram on several occasions to make it clear that her family — both by birth and through marriage — means everything to her. 

For starters, in a sweet nod to her late grandmother, she and Shelby Blackstock took some of their wedding pictures at the "It's a Small World" ride, which had been her favorite. She's also been part of Blackstock sibling trips. As an aside, we're not surprised Shelby Blackstock is so close to his half-siblings that they take regular vacations together — after all, Reba McEntire is super close with her own siblings, too. And, speaking of McEntire, let's just say her dynamic with Marissa is about as far away from a "Monster-in-Law" situation as can be. Case in point: she regularly shares sweet messages in Reba's honor, whether for birthdays or in celebration of her achievements, like singing the national anthem at the 2024 Super Bowl. Even more sweetly, she refers to McEntire as "Ma." 

Marissa and Shelby might not have had a clear path to parenthood just yet, but there's no denying these two are surrounded by a ton of love, in addition to the fairytale-esque love they already have for one another. We're wishing them everything of the best — and we can't wait to see more of McEntire's stunning daughter-in-law.