Who is Kristen Welker's husband John Hughes? How love at first sight sparked a fairytale marriage in

May 2024 · 5 minute read

President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden are all set to outwit each other in the final presidential debate to be held at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday, October 22, 2020. But, all eyes are stuck on moderator Kristen Welker of NBC News. After Chris Wallace and Steve Scully went through major scrutiny on social media, Trump lashed out at Welker saying: “She’s always been terrible & unfair, just like most of the Fake News reporters, but I’ll still play the game. The people know! How’s Steve Scully doing?”

The 44-year-old journalist has been in the public eye as a White House correspondent and co-anchor of Weekend Today. Back in 2008, Welker covered the presidential election and interviewed Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain. Although her life and career have been talked about in the past, not much is known about her husband and her relationship with him. Steal a glance at her love life and her marriage with husband John Hughes.

Who is John Hughes?

A marketing director at Merck in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, John Hughes has been in that position since February 2015. As per reports, Hughes joined the company in 2006 and stepped up the ladder through the years.

How did he meet Welker? The couple was set up on a date by mutual friend Laure Nagle in October of 2014. In a 2016 interview with Inquirer, she said, “So two summers ago, my best friend from high school's mother said, 'I'd really like you to meet John Hughes.' He is their family friend's son. I had just about given up on the idea of finding someone, but we had dinner in Philadelphia, and the rest is sort of history.” She also added, “I'm 40 years old. I say that to give hope to other women who maybe haven't found The One in their 20s.”

Waiting for her outside a restaurant in Center City, it was love at first sight for John. “When she got out of the car, I immediately felt like I was out of my league,” he confessed in a New York Times interview. “I remember thinking to myself, ‘If I can just make her laugh, maybe I’ll have a chance.’”

A love story for the ages

The first date was a huge success but she almost missed the second one. Did you know Hughes waited for Kristen for two-and-a-half hours? He had traveled to Washington so that they could have dinner, but Welker was caught up at work and was close to calling it off as she hadn't packed for to cover a trip by President Barack Obama. Exhausted at the time, she thought, “I’ve canceled too many dates... I need to go.”

Even though she was late, a patient Hughes handed her an envelope. “I made you something,” he said. It was a presidential crossword puzzle he’d made while waiting for her. “That’s the moment he got me,” she said. “As a White House correspondent, it was so touching, and it marked him different than anyone else I ever dated.” Welker added, “He allowed me to be me... And he’s incredibly calm, while I’m typically talking 100 miles a minute.”

Six months after dating and tough months of staying apart, Hughes went down on his knees and popped the question. “We were head over heels for each other,” he said. “But it was tough. We never knew where she was going to be.” Busy hours made it difficult for him to ask her but one fine day when she was in town for just 24 hours, he decided it was the day. “It’s probably not worth you coming down,” she said. But he replied, “I’ll be there.” Keeping the Lincoln Memorial location a surprise, he led her to the steps that overlook the Potomac River, and said, “I wanted to ask her outside in a place you could walk by years later and tell your kids that this was the spot we got engaged.” She said yes and accepted a stunning square-shaped diamond ring.

An enchanting wedding

On March 4, 2017, the wedding took place at the Hyatt at the Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia. The ceremony was in the Rose Ballroom and guests headed downstairs to the Grand Ballroom. Spotted in the crowd was Kelly O’Donnell, political reporter for NBC News, 'Meet The Press' host Chuck Todd, Andrea Mitchell, and her husband Alan Greenspan, David Cohen, as well as NBC10 Philadelphia alumni Justin Pizzi and Aditi Roy. The couple's first song was by Etta James 'At Last'.

Welker charmed her way in a gorgeous strapless Vera Wang wedding gown and John opted for a traditional yet stylish Michael Kors tux. For their lucky charm, Hughes wore a “lucky four-leaf clover” boxer shorts under his Michael Kors tuxedo and Welker tucked her late grandmother’s handkerchief into the top of her dress. An Instagram photo by pastor Kevin R Johnson read, “Congratulations @kristen.welker and John Hughes! It was an honor to marry you this evening.”

Three years have passed but their love has only grown stronger. In her interview with Inquirer, she said, “I mean, we will go sometimes as long as a month without seeing each other. When we are together, we make each other the priority. He always waits to say good night to me at the end of the night.” Talking about how her fairytale love story will bring hope for people, she told The New York Times, “I hope my story inspires people to keep an open mind... and never give up hope that they’ll meet someone.”

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