Plevnelieva was born on 28 January 1975.[1][2] She graduated from Second English High School in Sofia and studied law at New Bulgarian University (NBU) in Sofia.[1][2] She also attended City University of Seattle in the United States for finance during the 2000s.[1][2]
In 2000, she married Rosen Plevneliev, who is eleven years older than her. It was her first marriage and Plevneliev's second.[2] The couple had three sons: Philip (2000 - 2015), Asen (born 2001) and Pavel (born 2006).[2]
Plevnelieva worked as a coordinator for the Bulgarian IDLO Alumni Association from August 2003 to September 2004.[2] In 2004, Plevnelieva was hired by Economedia, a business media company.[1][2] (The Plevneliev family were close friends with businessman Ivo Prokopiev, the owner of Economedia).[2] She continued her work at Economedia while serving as First Lady of Bulgaria.[2] Her stories were published in Capital, a weekly newspaper published by Economedia.[2] Soon after her husband assumed the presidency, Plevnelieva left Economedia to establish her own company.[1]
During her husband's presidency, Yuliyana Plevnelieva general eschewed the role official and unofficial protocols of first lady, instead focusing on her family and career.[1] For example, Plevnelieva did not grant a single interview during her years in the role.[1]
In October 2017, Plevnelieva and Plevneliev announced their divorce after 17 years amid speculation of an affair by the former president.[1][3] Former President married his third wife, Desislava Banova, shortly after the divorce was finalized.
After the divorce Plevnelieva got back her maiden name - Yordanova.