With Valentine’s Day approaching, many of us are thinking about love and relationships. These North Carolina couples offer insight into keeping the spark alive.

My husband Ryan and I met at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. We were friends for three years before we finally started dating. We both have funny (and embarrassing) stories about those years before we dated: Ryan riding a motorbike around the perimeter of the house he lived in to get my attention and me following him around a cemetery we were touring when I realized he was “the one.” 

I hope these North Carolina power couples help you find appreciation for your love story as we celebrate this Valentine’s Day.

Comments have been edited for clarity and length.

Jay Burriss and Joel Kirby

Saluda

In 2020, Jay and Joel purchased a dilapidated home and transformed it into a 12-room luxury inn in Saluda. They’ve used their skills in art, design, hospitality, and landscape architecture to build an event venue and retreat in the mountains. Jay and Joel, partners for 24 years, enjoy welcoming guests upon arrival with a historical tour of the inn.

Meet cute: We met at a bar in Charleston, South Carolina, the weekend of Dining with Friends.

Favorite spot: The Saluda Inn

How do you celebrate love?  We work hard, we play hard, and we have a vast group of friends we love to be with and visit. We travel to the coast, lakes, and deep into the mountains to connect with all things nature.

Ryan Jor El and Tracy Marie Coleman

Charlotte

Ryan and Tracy are the hosts of  “REALationship Talk!” a podcast focused on their #SecondTimeAround. By sharing what they’ve learned through their journey, they show how people can bounce back positively after divorce and other life experiences. Ryan and Tracy married in 2022. 

Ryan founded Black Fathers Rock! to highlight Black fathers involved with their families and in their communities. Ryan serves as the vice president of a bank, and Tracy works in information technology. 

Meet cute: We were coworkers at Red Lobster in 2016, but that was it. We were both married to our now-exes and were simply coworkers, nothing more. 

Favorite spots: We love a good R&B night and frequent Cloud Southend a few times a month. We also love trying new restaurants and are always open for a quick road trip. 

How do you celebrate love? We celebrate love by remembering important days in our relationship: 2/3/21, 2/22/22, Valentine’s Day, our wedding date, etc. We often reminisce about our growth and favorite memories of things we’ve done and experienced together.

James and Sarah Doss

Wilmington

James and Sarah own Rx Chicken & Oysters, a sea-to-table restaurant highlighting what they grow, harvest, and catch as oyster farmers and spearfishers. Sarah is also an artist, capturing images such as clams, chickens, and octopuses on canvas. The couple has been together for eight years and married six. 

Meet cute: Our story is complicated. We were first introduced in 2012 by a mutual friend when James was hiring for his new restaurant, Rx. I was hired as a server, and it was there that I met and eventually became engaged to James’s childhood friend, Ben, who also worked at Rx. 

Tragically, in 2016, Ben was the victim of a senseless murder, altering our lives in ways we couldn’t have anticipated. In the wake of that devastating loss, James and I found comfort in one another, forging a deep bond rooted in understanding, resilience, and mutual respect. 

Favorite spot: 35+ miles off the coast of Wrightsville Beach, where we dive our favorite spots. 

How do you celebrate love? We celebrate love by recognizing how precious our time together is, and we make a conscious effort to spend it meaningfully, pushing ourselves to learn, grow, adventure, and dream together.

David Fernandez and Alexa Modderno

Seagrove

Alexa and David are potters and sell their work at Seagrove Stoneware Pottery. Alexa is the past president of the Seagrove Area Potters Association, and David is the mayor of Seagrove. They also run the Seagrove Stoneware Inn and The General Wine and Brew. 

A second marriage for both, they’ve spent 22 years together, blending two families including seven children and 10 grandchildren—soon to be 11.

Meet cute: We met in Greensboro when David moved to North Carolina in 2002.

Favorite spots: The North Carolina Pottery Center, The North Carolina Zoo, and North Topsail Beach, where our son Alex has a beach house.

How do you celebrate love? We celebrate love every day by working together in the many activities we are involved in: our morning chats over coffee, planning vacations and visits to children, and sharing a glass of wine with friends.

Greg Gillett and Beth Hockman

Asheville

Nineteen years ago, Beth and Greg founded Asheville The American Adventure Service Corps, a wilderness program to help young people develop leadership skills, wilderness skills, and a sense of purpose. They serve 110 students a year and have nine staff. They’ve been together for 30 years and married for 24 years.

Meet cute: We met working for the North Carolina Outward Bound School, a wilderness leadership program. Greg and I worked at the same base camp, Green Cove, one summer. We were support staff for each other’s crews. On our time off, we paddled the Chattooga with friends, and it was on one of these river trips that we connected and began to realize there was something more here than just friends. 

Favorite spot: Sam’s Knob in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area.

How do you celebrate love? We celebrate love in the little things: making a cup of tea for each other, being at the store and picking up their favorite food item, taking their car and filling it up with gas before they head out of town for work. Listening to their day. Sitting through a movie you might not love, but they do. Enthusiastically greeting them when they come home. Supporting their interests. Knowing their Love Language. Appreciating them and thanking them for all they do for the family.  

Slade Goldstein and Stacey Simms

Davidson

Last year, Slade, a serial entrepreneur, and Stacey, a former news broadcaster, launched “Sticks Together” a podcast about couples golf. They’ve been golfing together for almost 30 years. They’re also founding members of Temple Kol Tikvah, a synagogue in Davidson. 

Stacey is the author of  “The World’s Worst Diabetes Mom: Real‑Life Stories of Parenting a Child with Type 1 Diabetes” and the podcast host of “Diabetes Connections.” 

Meet cute: We worked at the same TV station: WKTV in Utica, New York. We had a really fun day together on St Patrick’s Day in 1995, and at the end of that day, Slade asked me to go on a date with him. We got engaged two years later and married in 1998.

Favorite NC spot: The golf course! We are lucky enough to be able to play frequently, and we love to try new courses. We head to Pinehurst every couple of years, but there is amazing golf in Lake Norman, where we live, and all over North Carolina. We have a goal to play 25 different North Carolina courses in 2025. If you make us pick a non-golf location, we’ll say the Grove Park Inn spa. We’ve spent an anniversary or two there.

How do you celebrate love? We play a lot of golf together. It’s such a fun activity to do together—you can encourage one another, laugh together, and travel. 

Liz Hilliard and Lee Kennelly

Charlotte

Liz opened Hilliard Studio Method, a boutique fitness studio, in 2007. Lee serves as HSM’s director of training. Together, they support Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, The Mint Museum, Opera Carolina, and LGBTQ+ programs through Time Out Youth and Planned Parenthood. They have been partners for seven years. 

Meet cute: In 2008, Lee walked into my studio for the first time as a client, and shortly thereafter we hired her as a trainer due to her fitness and teaching experience and style. She became the director of training and one of my dearest and closest friends. A decade later, we recognized the true love we had for one another. 

Favorite spots: Cashiers and Highlands. 

How do you celebrate love? Moments together at home, at work, out to dinner in Charlotte, at the movies, and above all, traveling the world. 

Mike Kathrani and Tina Vora

Cary

Mike and Tina describe their 19 years of marriage as a powerhouse partnership—both in life and in business. Mike owns an information technology consulting company, and Tina works as an IT and cybersecurity professional in the management consulting industry. 

The couple’s brainchild, Tamasha Modern Indian, opened a year ago in Raleigh. The restaurant’s Chef Bhavin Chhatwani is a semifinalist for the 2025 James Beard Award Emerging Chef.

Meet cute: Mike was working in the United States and Tina was living and working in New Delhi when fate brought us together through Shaadi.com (a dating site). 

Favorite spot? We’re drawn to the serene sands of Wilmington Beach and the breathtaking Blue Ridge views of Asheville. 

How do you celebrate love? For us, love is in the everyday gestures—sharing a home-cooked meal, encouraging each other’s dreams, or escaping to scenic Asheville or Wilmington Beach for a weekend getaway. We also treasure the art of celebrating milestones, ensuring that no special moment goes unnoticed.  

Keia Mastrianni and Jamie Swofford

Shelby

Jamie and Keia live on Old North Farm in Cleveland County. Jamie is a full-time farmer and culinarian, and Keia is a writer and the baker behind Milk Glass Pie, a cottage bakery. You can find Keia and Jamie at the Uptown Farmers Market with freshly grown vegetables and baked goods. 

Jamie and Keia partner with Broad River Market, a local nonprofit, to grow food for underserved communities. Jamie is a founding board member of the Utopian Seed Project and is involved in experimental crop trials to amplify resilience in the WNC food shed. Milk Glass Pie provided baked goods for local community fridge programs and mutual aid events. 

In “farmer speak,” Jamie and Keia are going into their 11th season together. They’ve been married for five years. 

Meet cute: We met during my food writing days. He was a former chef turned farmer, and I wrote a story about him. I don’t usually fall in love with my subjects but …

Favorite spot: If we get in the car for an outing, we’re usually headed west to our mountain towns. Our heart is in Western North Carolina—Asheville, Marshall, Burnsville, Saluda, Black Mountain, Tryon; the list goes on. 

How do you celebrate love? By making soup! You can find us on the first of every year serving a big pot of soup to the New Year’s crowd at Free Range Brewing during their Free Soup Day event. FUN FACT: We also got married on Free Soup Day, January 1, 2020, at a pop-up wedding in the middle of this event. We’ve called this our anniversary party ever since. 

Blair Primis and Erin Santos

Charlotte

Blair is the current chief marketing and experience officer at OrthoCarolina and Erin is the executive director of the Isabella Santos Foundation, a nonprofit named after Erin’s daughter, who died of a rare pediatric cancer. 

They co-own Primtos Consulting. Blair also sits on numerous boards in the Charlotte area, such as Carolina Farm Trust.

Meet cute: In 2017, Blair held the position of vice president of marketing for OrthoCarolina and I was the executive director for ISF. I pitched Blair on supporting the charity and later asked him to join ISF’s board of directors. Working closely together created a spark. We officially started dating in 2018 and were married in 2022. We feel so unbelievably lucky—true soulmates.  

Favorite spot: Our backyard! We live in a beautiful and historic neighborhood in Charlotte between South End and Uptown. We spend so much time there just listening to music, playing cards, enjoying a cocktail, and chatting the day away.  

How do you celebrate love? Our lives are so busy, so we make it our mission to get away from it all as much as we can and find ourselves exploring new places. We also stay in bed as long as possible on days when we can shut out the world for a bit. There is something to be said for time just cuddling–even at our age. 

Sarah and Jeff Shepherd

Raleigh

Sarah and Jeff opened the Heights House Hotel in 2021. Sarah is the hotel’s general manager and Jeff is a mobile gaming designer who helps with Heights House as much as possible.

Meet cute: We met through mutual friends in 2014 and have been together for eleven years. 

Favorite spot: We got married in the mountains of North Carolina near Murphy. It’s a magical place and has a special place in our hearts.

How do you celebrate love? By supporting each other’s goals and individual interests, making time to put work aside, and connecting even if for 15 minutes. Celebrating every win with each other, even when it’s small.