We calculate the strong decay couplings for <math><mi>ρ</mi><mo>→</mo><mi>π</mi><mi>π</mi></math>, <math><mi>ϕ</mi><mo>→</mo><mi>K</mi><mi>K</mi></math>, <math><msup><mi>K</mi><mo>*</mo></msup><mo>→</mo><mi>K</mi><mi>π</mi></math>, and <math><msup><mi>D</mi><mo>*</mo></msup><mo>→</mo><mi>D</mi><mi>π</mi></math> in a unified and consistent approach based on the impulse approximation, nonperturbative solutions of the quark-gap equation and the Poincaré invariant Bethe-Salpeter amplitudes of vector and pseudoscalar mesons. In particular, we obtain the coupling <math><msub><mi>g</mi><mrow><msup><mi>D</mi><mo>*</mo></msup><mi>D</mi><mi>π</mi></mrow></msub><mo>=</mo><mn>17.2</mn><msubsup><mn>4</mn><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>2.30</mn></mrow><mrow><mo>+</mo><mn>3.06</mn></mrow></msubsup></math> in very good agreement with the experimental value by CLEO, which corresponds to a strong effective coupling between heavy vector and pseudoscalar mesons to the pion of <math><mover><mi>g</mi><mo>^</mo></mover><mo>=</mo><mn>0.5</mn><msubsup><mn>8</mn><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>0.08</mn></mrow><mrow><mo>+</mo><mn>0.10</mn></mrow></msubsup></math>.