Love On Fire: The Hottest Couples of 2013

It’s official! They’re engaged! This summer, while our December cover star Gabrielle Union was Being Mary Jane on her new hit BET show, and the fans were loving it, her longtime beau, Miami Heat baller Dwyane Wade, was basking in the glow of yet another NBA Championship win. Success sure looked good on the hard-working pair and there’s no denying that Gabby and Dwyane were the couple to watch this year.

In January, supporters celebrated the Obamas once again as they embarked on a second term in Washington. Have you ever seen a President and First Lady so madly in love? It warms our hearts whenever this power couple steps out in front of the cameras. They continue to be a stellar example of Black love at its finest!

In 2013 this dynamic duo was on fire. Paula Patton’s Hollywood star continued to shine bright as she headlined romantic comedy Baggage Claim and co-starred alongside Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg in 2 Guns. Not to be outdone, her hubby, soul singer Robin Thicke, had the best year of his career. His single “Blurred Lines” became the biggest of his career and the longest running number one single of the year. Thicke even earned the highly coveted seat on Oprha’s couch for an Oprah’s Next Chapter special all about his amazing year. Our favorite part: Between it all they found time for sweet PDA, co-parenting and red carpet walls together. How do they do it?

The King and Queen of music moguldom reigned supreme once again in 2013. Beyoncé spread excitement throughout the world on her Mrs. Carter World Tour (complete with a stop at ESSENCE Festival 2013 in New Orleans) and her hubby Jay-Z took to the stage for his much-anticipated Magna Carter tour. Bey gave fans a peak inside their intimate life together as husband and wife in her HBO documentary Life Is But a Dream.

Meagan Good and husband DeVon Franklin know all about waiting for “the one.” The couple remained celibate before saying “I do” in 2012. Now they’re ready to share their wisdom in a newly announced self-help book called The Wait. Seriously, we just adore them together.

This year actress Halle Berry did something she said she’d never do again — become a married woman. The beautiful actress walked down the aisle with fiancé Olivier Martinez in an intimate ceremony in Vallery, France, this past summer, exchanging vows in front of around 60 guests and partying “long into the night” afterward. In October, they welcomed the birth of their son, Maceo Robert Martinez. Aww, we’re happy for you Halle!

Let’s hear it for newlyweds LeBron James and Savannah Brinson, who tied the knot on September 14th in a lavish ceremony in San Diego. After their romantic “I dos” the couple jetted off to Europe for an extended honeymoon where they doted all over each other and shared each precious moment with fans via Instagram.

Compose yourself ladies. Idris Elba is off the market and expecting a child with his girlfriend, makeup artist Naiyana Garth. Congrats to the Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom star!

We’ve been in love with Monica and Shannon Brown’s life-imitating-art love story from day one. (Hello, they met on the set of her “Love All Over Me” video where he played her husband!) This year, the happy couple celebrated their second wedding anniversary and extended their family by celebrating the birth of their baby girl, Laiyah Shannon Brown. Congrats again to the happy couple.

There’s nothing like young love. Singer and actress Jordan Sparks and her beau, singer Jason Derulo, have proven that they’re in it for the long haul this year as they stayed glued by each other’s sides for birthdays, career milestones and special occasions.

Fairytale ending alert! Real Housewives of Atlanta stars Nene and Greg Leakes were remarried this year after recovering from a rocky and very public divorce. The glamorous nuptials were a dream come true for the reality-star turned actress so she filmed it for her special I Dream of Nene: The Wedding and we were glued to our screens as she embodied the true definition of bridezilla and made sure every detail met her standards.

Arguably the most controversial couple of the year, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have had an unforgettable year. In July, they became first-time parents to baby girl North West and got engaged in a grand fashion. West went on Kris Jenner’s show to talk about the moments he knew he was in love with Kardashian, how they met and to reveal their first baby photo. Then, last month they released a racy video that kept fans talking. These two sure do know how to keep all eyes on them, and we’re not mad at that.

This year, reality TV stars Vince Herbert and Tamar Braxton returned for season 2 of their hit show, Tamar and Vince, and they showed us more of their love story than ever before as they prepared to welcome their very first child. In June, the spirited couple welcomed a baby boy named Logan, and in September, the Mrs. launched her much-anticipated debut album, Love and War, which she was recently earned her first Grammy nomination.

Model and actress Eva Marcille and her beau, singer Kevin McCall, are one totally gorgeous couple. They’re expecting a baby, they plan to name Marley, any day now and the mama and daddy-to-be are glowing with pre-baby joy. We can’t wait to meet the little one.

Sharing the spotlight has never been hard for PDA-prone couple Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey. The Mrs. made a hilarious guest appearance on the new season of her hubby’s revived show Wild’N’Out and when the Real Husbands of Hollywood star wasn’t working, he was right by his wife’s side helping her recover from an injury she suffered on a video shoot set. Another year strong for these two, and we couldn’t be happier for them.

The Hardricts make having a healthy, happy family look easy, and love sure looks good on them. Although we were sad to see Mowry-Hardrict depart her post on The Game, her new show Instant Mom debuted on Nick and Nite this fall to stellar ratings, plus Hardict starred in summer film hit Lovelace. These two are winning all around and they’re holding tight to their positive family values throughout the way.

The Stoudemires met right after high school and began a love affair that led to four beautiful children and a fairytale proposal in Paris. Although they tied the knot officially on 12-12-12, the happy couple threw a lavish ceremony this summer before 175 of their closest friends and family. The New York Knicks star and his leading lady also welcomed their fourth child this year, and these days seem happier than ever, and we say, cheers to that. (Only five weeks and four days after the birth of her son, Alexis stunned in her wedding dress. Alright now, diva!)

We’ve adored Nicole Ari Parker and Boris Kodjoe’s love story since day one, and that’s why it’s been such a treat watching them do their thing on the hilarious episodes of Kevin Hart’s Real Husbands of Hollywood.

We were all smiles when former Xscape singer Kandi Burruss, of Real Housewives of Atlanta, got engaged to Todd Tucker on New Year’s Day. Since then, the pair have spent the year planning for their big “I dos” and dropping hints along the way about what details fans can expect. Although they’ve encountered a bit of a rocky road lately with Kandi’s mom refusing to give her blessing, we’re happy to say the lovebirds are staying strong and keeping a united front on their road to the altar.

The Family Hustle returned for season 3 in 2013 and once again we marveled at T.I.’s ability to be a standout dad and husband while juggling the demands of his busy career. We love the Harris family more and more as we watch along. The couple’s one-hour animated holiday special, T.I. & Tiny: Holiday Hustle Special, airs Monday on Vh1.

For season 2 of Real Husbands of Hollywood, Tisha Campbell-Martin decided to join in the fun with her husband Duane Martin, and the results have been absolutely hilarious. Tisha, please keep the laughs coming. It’s been so nice seeing you on our screens again.

Not all reality couples make you want to give up on finding true love. Real Housewives of Atlanta stars Cynthia Bailey and hubby  Peter Thomas continue to show us how to mix business and pleasure. They happy couple released a book about their success in love called Carry On Baggage: Our Nonstop Flight. They recently stopped by ESSENCE to talk about their successful year and they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Aww!

Steve and Marjorie Harvey spent the year balancing philanthropy and business with pleasure like only they can. We spotted the TV host and his main lady all over the red carpet representing their non-profit foundation.