The Martins: 14 Years of Marriage & How He Knew She Was The One

We love featuring couples who have stood the test of time. Today, we chat with D’Andre Martin, husband, father, entrepreneur and more about how he knew his wife was the one and to share insights from his perspective as a husband. Enjoy.

Q: Dre, Tell me how you knew your wife was the one?

D: This may sound cliché but I knew my wife was the one when we first met. She was so different than any other girl that I’d ever met before. Based on how I grew up in Cleveland and what was around me at an early age, she had goals and knew what she wanted to do in life young. When I would get around her, I would completely change the way I acted to impress her. She didn't curse, so I didn't curse around her. I would do all the (corny) things like open the door for her. Things that I would never do and that I’d seen on TV. She made me want to be better and have a plan for my future, something I wasn't worried about at the time.

It was crazy how she made me feel. I was two different people with her and without. Yet the person I was with her, was my best self at the time. She may kill me for saying this but another thing that was big is she made me wait for a long time. Over a year before we had sex. I think that made me value her even more. That may not sound big but at that young age I respected her even more than I knew and understood at the time. She set the standards from the beginning. 

Q: What’s one thing you do to honor your wife?

D:The one thing I do to honor my wife is being honest with her at all times. From day one she has always been big on honesty and trust which use to be hard for me back in the day. She always told me that those two things meant a lot to her. So that's what I make sure I do. Honesty, trust, loyalty!

Q: As a black man, what is important for you to have from your woman?

D: As a black man what is important for me to have from my wife is definitely her support. Knowing that she has my back and believes in me is everything! There's no way I could be as successful as I am today (especially being a full-time entrepreneur) without having my wife being my biggest supporter. This makes me go harder through the good and bad times.

Q: How do you keep your relationship strong"?

D: There are many things I do to keep my relationship strong. I make sure my wife knows that I have her back and support her like she does me. I do spontaneous things a lot to keep her on her toes! The biggest thing may be our communication, understanding each other's goals, and talking through things that we want from each other. Our goals may change but it's important to update each other and talk through them as we grow. 

Q: Tell me, how long have you two been together?

D: My wife and I have been together for 20 years! Since I was 14 and she was 15. We have been married for 14 years. We have been through a whole lot because we grew together from kids to young adults to grown-ups. So it wasn't always easy because over the years we’ve changed. Yet, the one thing we didn't do was grow apart. If you can make it through the storms at a early age you can make it through anything. I love her more and more each day, this will never get old! We have a lot more life to live and we are just getting started. Looking forward to our future that God has for us. We’ve been blessed.

Thank you D’Andre for sharing gems and pieces of your heart for readers and those tapping in to take away from. I hope the many gems shared across this platform can be cherished in a “take what you need” kind of way. The beauty of relationships are that they are very unique to the individuals so it is important to see what aligns and works for your relationship as a whole. Be on the lookout for the RBL Podcast! We hope to have the Martins and other black couples/individuals on to have in-depth conversation and to continue to be a portrayal of how black love can truly thrive!