An everlasting love. Country crooner Luke Bryan has been married to his wife, Caroline “Lina” Bryan (née Boyer), for more than 14 years and still seem as in love as ever the day they tied the knot.
After first meeting while they attended the same college in Georgia, the pair had an instantaneous connection that couldn’t be ignored.
“We met my first week of college at a bar called Dingus, and we were just hangin’ out,” Caroline explained on the “Get Real with Caroline Hobby” podcast in January 2019. “It was Thursday night. I was a freshman. It was my first time in a bar. I was so sheltered growing up in a very small town and I’d had the same boyfriend since 8th grade. … Luke’s personality was so big, I was staring at him like, ‘Is this guy for real?’ He was the second guy I ever kissed in my life. Ever.”
Although they went on to date for more than a year while they were at school, Luke and Caroline eventually broke up when she “freaked out” after he’d talk about marriage. It wasn’t until four years later that they’d rekindle their college-era relationship.
“I was a drug rep in Macon, but I was in Statesboro for work, and my brother said, ’Guess who is playing in town’” Caroline recalled during the podcast interview. “I saw Luke playing, and something was different. We made eye contact and we locked eyes. … Then he took a break, and I thought he was trying to avoid me. So I left. He called my brother’s house at 3 a.m., and I answered. He was like, ’Where did you go?’ I said, ‘I thought you didn’t want to see me.’ Anyway, we’ve been together ever since. He and I would’ve never ever, ever lasted if we didn’t have a break. We appreciate each other.”
After an on-off relationship, the pair eventually tied the knot in December 2006 ahead of the release of his debut album, I’ll Stay Me, a year later. He asserted that Caroline’s support has helped him become a successful music artist.
“She’s the perfect kind of stability that I need on all levels,” Luke told The Boot in September 2015. “She wakes up at 5:30 and makes the kids lunches and lets me sleep in. My family still really dedicates themselves to me and works their schedules around what I have going on, so I look forward to one day when maybe those roles will change a little bit. There will always be all of this hype. At the end of the day, she’ll call me out.”
After their destination wedding in Turks & Caicos, Luke tried to get his music career off the ground, while Caroline ended up supporting their family for four years, she explained on Hobby’s podcast at the time.
Soon after, the duo expanded their family in 2008 and 2010, welcoming their two sons, Bo and Tate, respectively.
The Bryan family has also endured saddening losses. After Luke’s brother-in-law unexpectedly died of a heart attack in 2014, Luke and Caroline took in their three kids as their own.
While raising five kids together, the country couple still finds time to strengthen their marriage and have fun together, whether it’s a funny quarantine prank or a sentimental date night.
“We have fun with this career, we have fun with our kids,” he added in his interview with The Boot. “We have a normal marriage. We get into it, we fight, we figure it out, but at the end of the day, we understand that there’s a lot of stuff that comes at us that makes us all crazy, too, so we just try to be normal and enjoy the ride of this.”
Scroll down to relive the married couple’s fun-filled and romantic relationship timeline:
The pair first met in college at Georgia Southern University when she was a freshman and he was a senior. One night, they both were at a local bar called Dingus Magee’s in Statesboro, Georgia. In between his sets, Luke noticed the former pharmaceutical sales representative right away and they immediately started talking. "It took me eight seconds to figure it out and it took her about eight years to figure it out," he revealed to The Boot in February 2013. "I had to drink a lot before I could go talk to her, but I did. Somehow I managed to ease over there and somewhat be charming. It was one of those situations for me, it was like, 'Who is that and how do I go talk to her? And, yep, I'm going to marry that girl.’" After that first meeting, the couple started dating and were together for more than a year. "It was love at first sight with Caroline — those blue eyes of hers," Luke told Good Housekeeping in December 2013. "I knew that, no matter what, I was going to make my way over to her." Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock
The pair eventually split up around 2000 for about four years because she “freaked out” when he’d talk about marriage, she told Hobby on the podcast episode. “She was three years younger than me in college,” Luke told the Huffington Post in March 2012. “I was about done with school when we met. So I kinda went off and did my thing in Nashville and she finished up her college experience and it kinda allowed us to both go get our feet a little firmer on the ground.” Cut to four years later, Luke and Caroline both ended up in the same Statesboro, Georgia, bar one night. Caroline explained on the podcast that, at the time, she was visiting her brother, who informed her that the “Country Girl” crooner was playing in town and they went to see him perform. That night, she noted that “something was different” when she saw the musician again. imageSPACE/Shutterstock
The pair wed in December 2006 in Turks & Caicos, a year before his debut album, I’ll Stay Me, was released. Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
Two years later, they welcomed their first son, Thomas “Bo” Boyer Bryan. Courtesy of Caroline Bryan/Instagram
After suffering a miscarriage, the couple welcomed a second son, Tatum “Tate” Christopher Bryan, a few years later. Courtesy of Caroline Bryan/Instagram
Their family was struck by tragedy after Luke’s brother-in-law, Ben Lee Cheshire, died of a heart attack. Cheshire was married to Luke’s sister Kelly, who previously died in May 2007, and they shared three children — Jordan, Kris and Til. After Cheshire's death, the Nashville-based couple took in their three kids, who were teenagers at the time. "We never thought twice about it," Caroline told Robin Roberts on the "Living Every Day: Luke Bryan" ABC special. "You know, it was never something that he and I had to sit down and talk about, you know, should we take this on? We just did it." Courtesy of Caroline Bryan/Instagram
The “Light It Up” singer upgraded Caroline’s engagement ring for their tenth wedding anniversary. Courtesy of Luke Bryan/Instagram
To celebrate their 12th anniversary together, Caroline shared a tribute via Instagram. Alongside a slideshow of pictures from their wedding and other romantic moments, she captioned the post, “Happy 12th to my handsome, noble steed. No matter what the silly argument is, we always make up better! Let’s go get fat and sassy! 💛💥💛💥” Courtesy of Caroline Bryan/Instagram
The pair had fun amid the coronavirus pandemic together and often indulged in silly pranks on one another to pass the time. Caroline posted a video of one on Instagram, where she hid in a cabinet as revenge after one of Luke’s jokes. As Luke looked for food in the fridge, she slowly opened the cabinet door and screamed, causing him to jump up and spill the can of beer he was drinking. She captioned the post, “Got Luke back....😈 'Somebody messes with me, I’m gonna mess with him'- Al Capone.” Courtesy of Caroline Bryan/Instagram
The American Idol mentor revealed on Good Morning America that the pair was “better than ever” amid lockdown together. Imagespace/Shutterstock
During an interview with theSkimm, Luke shared that “communication” and "makeup sex” were his secrets to a great marriage. YouTube
To celebrate Luke’s 45th birthday, Caroline went all out, sharing highlights via her Instagram. There was a giant piñata with Fireball whiskey inside, a Jiffy Lube-inspired cake and plenty of funny antics. The crooner commented on her post, “It was an amazing birthday. I Love you.” Courtesy of Caroline Bryan/Instagram
"Another adventure in the books! Luke broke a finger and I twisted another ankle…pretty much a normal day for us! 🎢," Caroline shared via Instagram at the time. The couple went to Cedar Point, an amusement park in Ohio, with their family. Courtesy of Caroline Bryan/Instagram
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