LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — There are seasons of giving and seasons of change, but just for today, LEX 18 is talking “Seasons of Love.”
“She shows me love that I’ve never experienced before,” said Joey Herrera.
“I’ve said this since we started dating, he’s the funnest person I know,” echoed Rachel Herrera.
The Herrera’s story began in the thick of the pandemic when they met on a dating app. Despite having both grown up in Lexington and even working at the same company, the two didn’t know each other.
After a successful meeting, a museum and dinner date, Joey was already planning the next.
Like a light bulb, the marquee outside the Lexington Opera House lit up as Joey orchestrated “some enchanted evening” for Rachel.
“I remember him saying 'I want to support a local business that's impacted by COVID,' and he had seen on the marquee that they were doing putt-putt,” said Rachel.
In lieu of performances, the Lexington Opera House hosted a socially distanced night of “Mini Golf on Broadway." Every hole had a different theatrical theme.
Hitting it off over putt-putt, the two made a bet.
“If he got a hole-in-one on a particular hole, we would do a third date, and he got a hole-in-one on that hole,” said Rachel.
According to Joey, “It was meant to be.”
Fast forward two years, past meeting the parents, travels, job changes, and everything in between, Joey and Rachel tied the knot in an intimate wedding November 4 in front of family and close friends.
All the while, the two wondered if they could host their reception back where it all started.
“The more we looked at the Opera House, the more we were like, 'We have to do this here,’” said Rachel.
“Where we had such a good time seeing backstage and seeing the dressing rooms and being able to get ready…having our day here feels like a full circle moment,” said Joey.
From putt-putt to nuptials, it’s a theater that’s been an unwavering backdrop in their love story.
On New Year’s Eve, Joey and Rachel will reintroduce themselves as the Herreras to more than 100 guests at the Lexington Opera House.
The duo says theater staff have been more than accommodating in making their reception dreams come true, and guests can expect some special surprises when the evening arrives.
“For something that’s been so special for us, in terms of this date, the putt putting, this place, now we got to do that for our guests and our wedding reception and have those memories for the rest of our lives,” said Rachel.
