‘American Idol’ Interrupts Luke Bryan’s Valentine’s Day Plans

Luke Bryan’s Valentine’s Day plans will be interrupted this year by American Idol, but he still hopes to make the day romantic. The Georgia native is being kept in Los Angeles by the Idol taping, where it sounds like his wife, Caroline, might get to join him on the West Coast.

“For Valentine’s Day this year, I’m working every day around Valentine’s,” Bryan revealed. “I’m doing Idol. Actually, Idol is filming on Valentine’s Day, and so I have approached Caroline about maybe flying out to L.A. I think we’re gonna have a short taping day at Idol, so maybe we can have a Valentine’s dinner at one of her favorite restaurants in Los Angeles. I’ll try to make it somewhat romantic.”

The couple have plenty of reasons to celebrate, including more than 12 years of marriage under their belt.

“I married my college sweetheart,” Bryan said. “We dated back in college and broke up for nearly six years, and while I was off doing my Nashville stuff and touring and writing songs, she was finishing getting her career kind of going. Man, we just kinda bumped into each other one night, and it was like bam, here we are married.”

Caroline also recounted their dating story, adding that after they broke up, she saw him at a show and realized that their was still plenty of love between the two.

“I was a drug rep in Macon, [Georgia], but I was in Statesboro for work, and my brother said, ‘Guess who is playing in town?’” Caroline recalled on the Get Real podcast. “I saw Luke playing, and something was different. We made eye contact and we locked eyes. I was in my work clothes, not going-out clothes. I felt like a grandma. 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.”

The Bryans, who have two sons and are also raising their nephew, Til, recently added to their family by adopting a rescue dog, 18-year-old Poochie. Unfortunately, Bryan won’t have much time with their new pet, since he will kick off his Sunset Repeat Tour after American Idol wraps. Find a list of all of his upcoming shows at his official website.

Season 17 of American Idol will premiere on March 3 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Rick Diamond