Luke Bryan is opening up about his relationship with his wife, Caroline Bryan.
The “Country On” singer, who has been married to his wife for 16 years, revealed how “she was the one bringing in the dough” when they first said, “I do.”
“When we got married, her career supported me when I was making about $10,000 a year,” Bryan told country singer Kellie Pickler and journalist Ben Aaron during a 2018 episode of their talk show, Pickler & Ben, according to PEOPLE. “She was the one bringing in the dough.”
Bryan, who met his wife Caroline back in their college bar days, explained how their post-graduate breakup turned out to be a blessing.
“We’d date a little in college, and then we’d break up. And then I would be devastated. We’d get back together, break up. Then she would be devastated,” he said.
“We finally decided we were not going to break up anymore. And then I graduate college, and she has two more years, and then we break up again. It was like the Dark Ages for both of us.”
“We were apart for 5½ years, which was kind of a blessing because I went off to Nashville, got all this going,” he continued. “She finished college. She went and actually had a career.”
Caroline also provided her own insight into their relationship, sharing how the country singer was “always a gentleman” when they hung out as friends, which prompted her to make the first move.
“He was always a gentleman,” Caroline said. “We hung out as friends first and he never made a move on me. I kissed him first! He was always so scared of making a girl feel uncomfortable, he wouldn’t cross a line.”
“In college, we used to go dancing in a club ‘til 4 a.m., and he’s just as silly at home as he is on stage. He walks around dancing all day, just being goofy,” she added.
“That One Always Makes Us Laugh“
Speaking of being goofy, Bryan discussed his favorite photo from he and Caroline’s 2006 Turks and Caicos wedding while preparing to headline his annual Crash My Playa music festival in Mexico back in January.
“There’s a photo of Caroline and me walking down the beach squeezing each other’s butts that we love. It’s our same personalities we have today — just so goofy,” Bryan told PEOPLE.
“Whenever we look at our wedding album, that one always makes us laugh — it was and still is pretty funny. Great memory,” he added of their big day, which was limited to close family and friends.
In recalling their wedding day, the “Country On” singer also shared one thing that nearly put a damper on the entire ceremony: a windsurfing injury he sustained.
“I tried to windsurf, and I threw my back out,” Bryan revealed, adding that he had to go to a chiropractor and take a muscle relaxer to stop [his] back from freaking out!”
“So Amazing Sharing This Life With You“
Luke Bryan and Caroline celebrated 16 years of marriage back in December 2022. Bryan marked the occasion with a sweet tribute to his wife on Instagram.
“Happy 16th anniversary love. It is so amazing sharing this life with you,” Bryan captioned a photo of the pair together. “Thank you for putting up with all my craziness I throw your way. I’ve loved you since the second I saw you. It’s truly remarkable what we’ve done together. I love you to the moon and back and here’s to 100 more. Love you.”
“Love you,” the country singer’s wife replied, adding a red heart emoji to her comment.
The country singer previously upgraded his wife’s engagement ring in recognition of their 10th wedding anniversary in 2016, according to PEOPLE.
His marriage aside, Bryan continues to serve as a judge on ABC’s American Idol. He’ll also be performing on his Las Vegas residency through September 2023.
