Real-Life Love
A Deep Dive Into Luke Bryan’s Longtime Romance With His College Sweetheart
Luke Bryan has been making waves in the country world ever since the release of his debut single, “All My Friends Say,” hit the airwaves in 2007. As his stardom has only risen from those early days, the singer has had the backing of many people along the way.
Yet, the one who has been the biggest support of all is, of course, his wife Caroline Bryan (née Boyer). She has been there from the get-go and continues to be his reinforcing pillar at home, as well as on the road.
How did Luke and Caroline meet?
Both attended Georgia Southern University in the late ’90s and stumbled upon each other at the college. While the “Country Girl Shake It For Me” singer was a senior, his future wife was just a mere freshman.
Bryan divulged to The HuffPost, “We met in college back in fall 1998. At a little bar called Dingus MaGee’s in Statesboro, Georgia.” He further added to The Boot that it was love at first sight for him, “It took me eight seconds to figure it out and it took her about eight years to figure it out.” He continued, “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.'”
Although the two met early on, they were in somewhat of an on-again-off-again relationship until 2004. After a stretch apart, they once again found themselves in the same town. “I was playing a little bar in Statesboro and she just happened to kinda be in town,” Bryan shared. They quickly got engaged, and the rest is history.
The lovebirds made things official by tying the knot in 2006. At the time, the hitmaker was not making a lot of money yet. “When we got married, her career supported me when I was making about $10,000 a year,” he said. “She was the one bringing in the dough.”
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Do Luke and Caroline have kids?
Two years after the couple tied the knot, they welcomed their first child, Thomas “Bo” Boyer Bryan.
Happy to be a dad, Bryan exclaimed he was “over the moon” and added, “My fishing buddy is finally here!”
After Bo, they welcomed another child, Tatum Christopher, in 2010.
Who are their bonus children?
The Bryans also helped raise their nephew and nieces, Kris, Jordan, and Tilden “Til.” The hitmaker lost his sister, Kelly Cheshire in 2007, and seven years later, her husband, Ben Lee Chesire, sadly, also passed away.
Til went on to live with his uncle and aunt full-time. His sisters were already college-bound adults at the time. Bryan spoke to PEOPLE and shared, “Obviously my nieces and nephew, they didn’t ask for this. Their life was amazing before Caroline and I took a more prominent role, even after losing their mother. Now my focus is trying to do what we can to help them.”
On November 6, 2024, the 48-year-old American Idol judge took to Instagram to post a photo of him and Til fishing. He captioned it, “Happy Birthday to @tilcheshire.2. Love ya buddy. I’ve cherished everyday you’ve been with us. 23 years old. Wow.”
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What does Caroline do for a living?
While her husband is rocking it out on stage, Caroline Bryan has a more behind-the-scenes type of career. She founded her company Brett’s Barn in 2017.
It’s a miniature animal farm filled with rescued ponies, goats, and pigs. The idea for the business started when Bryan’s niece Brett passed away at just seven months old from a congenital heart defect.
On the business’ website, Caroline Bryan stated, “We choose happiness over hurt. We choose to honor Brett, just as she continues to honor our family every day. We choose to help children, families, and precious animals.”
