It’s a Match! Kurth Dohmann and Greg Herzog’s Online Romance Turns Into The Wedding of Their Dreams

By Henry V. Thiel

Kurth Dohmann and Greg Herzog met the old-fashioned way—on Match.com.

“We were a ‘100% match,’ so there was reluctance on both parts about meeting for the first time,” laughs Dohmann. “Both of us had been married to our former wives for 17 years, have three children, are compliance professionals, Catholics, and are the same age (because one of us had lied on Match.com), and we even attended the same Houston church!”

“That’s just too weird—right?” Herzog adds.

“So after many weeks of emailing and talking on the phone, we met for our first date on Monday, May 18, 2009, at the Berryhill Mexican restaurant on Montrose. While neither of us would say it was love at first sight,” Dohmann admits while smiling at Herzog, “we both knew right away that this could be something special.

“Greg proposed to me on the Grande Riviere beach in Trinidad,” shares Dohmann. “It was the Saturday after the Supreme Court marriage decision, and we were staying at the Mt. Plaisir Estate Hotel.”

“The name makes it sound so exotic,” giggles Herzog. “However, it was a simple beach hut with mosquito netting, just steps away from nesting leatherback turtles and the world’s most beautiful sunsets. It was very rustic and romantic.”

“So rustic, in fact, that after first seeing the place, I would have gladly gone back to Port of Spain. But the driver had already left,” adds Dohmann, rolling his eyes.   

“The Tuesday after Greg proposed, we received a phone call from PopVows. We were one of the 10 couples they selected to be part of the PopVows Wedding on July 10, 2015, at the Sambuca jazz lounge in Houston,” says Dohmann.

“This was less than two weeks’ notice, and we were still out of the country,” says Herzog, eyes wide in mock panic mode.

But together, they decided that there was no reason to wait. Upon their return to the States, they rushed to the courthouse for their marriage license. Then it all started to become real.

“We were going to be married in one week and still had not told anyone,” Dohmann recalls, remembering how breathless the moment was.

“In a mad rush, we called our children, parents, and a few close friends. Since we were already hosting a Fourth of July party at our house the weekend before, we announced it to our friends that day,” adds Herzog.

Since the wedding was being planned by PopVows, all the vendors were either LGBT or LGBT allies.

“While we were disappointed that we didn’t have the opportunity to incorporate any family traditions, we were both thrilled to have Kurth’s granddaughter as our flower girl,” says Herzog, with more than a touch of pride.

“We were also able to have Kurth’s parents, all of our children, two of our grandchildren, and some close friends with us at the wedding,” adds Herzog.

“It was a beautiful occasion that could not have been more perfect if we had had months to plan it,” Dohmann beams.

“Since the wedding was so small,” Herzog explains, “we had a reception the following September so our family and friends from out of town (and from out of the country) could join in the celebration. And David Alcorta Catering created a beautiful and delicious wedding cake for the reception.”

“Way before the Supreme Court made history with its decision, we had planned an August Alaskan cruise to celebrate Greg’s birthday. So we decided to kill two birds with one stone, and that trip became our honeymoon,” whispers Dohmann.

“The cruise line offered an opportunity for married passengers to renew their vows during the cruise,” says Herzog. “When they found out that we had just gotten married a little more than a month before, they insisted on renewing our vows in a private ceremony officiated by the captain of the ship. They provided the flowers, hors d’oeuvres, champagne, music, and a memory book. It couldn’t have been a nicer way to start our life together as a married couple.”

Henry V. Thiel is a principal with The Epicurean Publicist. He prefers sunrises to sunsets.