For one smitten Ohio couple, Super Bowl 2022 — with their beloved Cincinnati Bengals in Sunday’s big game — is nothing less than pure bliss.
Ever since the Bengals earned a spot in Super Bowl LVI this year, bigtime fans Rachel Hyden and Johnny Wallen — head-over-heels sports enthusiasts who bonded over their boundless Bengals love — have been frantically planning their wedding in Goshen, Ohio, to time with Super Bowl Sunday.
It’s been a little hectic. And for all the right reasons.
“As soon as [the Bengals] won [the AFC championship on Jan. 30], I looked at Johnny and said, ‘We have to have a Super Bowl party,’” bride-to-be Rachel Hyden told Fox News Digital in a telephone interview several days ago.
Rachel Hyden and Johnny Wallen are tying the knot on Super Bowl Sunday 2022. The Ohio couple bonded over their love for the Bengals — and moved their wedding date up from Oct. 8, 2022 to Feb. 13, 2022.
(Rachel Hyden)
“About five minutes later, I just looked at him and said, ‘I think we should get married on Super Bowl Sunday!'”
Hyden and Wallen, engaged last July 4, had been planning to wed Oct. 8, 2022.
But those plans radically changed the moment their beloved Bengals earned a berth in the Super Bowl by beating the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 two weeks ago.
That same day, Hyden began planning for the couple’s accelerated nuptials.
“It’s been very busy!” she said.
Rachel Hyden and Johnny Wallen show off their Bengals love. The bride-to-be spoke to Fox News Digital two days before their wedding on Super Bowl Sunday 2022.
(Rachel Hyden)
She added, “We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our love for each other and celebrate our marriage than to celebrate it during the Super Bowl with the Bengals.”
The couple initially bonded over their mutual love for Cincinnati sports. One of their first dates was at a Cincinnati Reds game.
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“Our relationship has been very sports-focused,” said Hyden.
The soon-to-be-newlyweds are expecting some 100 guests to help them celebrate.
Ahead of her wedding day on Feb. 13, 2022, Rachel Hyden showed off her black-and-orange fingernails — Bengals-themed, of course.
(Rachel Hyden)
Not surprisingly, guests have been encouraged to dress in orange and black (casual is fine!).
The couple will have plenty of Super Bowl-friendly food on hand, too, including fajitas, chicken tenders, pizza, and lasagna.
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John Wallen Sr., father of the groom-to-be, will be officiating at the couple’s ceremony.
Wallen Sr. is pastor of Stahlheber Baptist Church in Hamilton, Ohio. The event will take place on Terry Settle’s farm — Settle is the bride’s father.
Johnny Wallen’s 9-year-old son Jackson (a budding football player, of course) and Rachel’s 4-year-old son Emmett will be participating in the wedding, as will the couple’s miniature Dachshund, Lincoln.
Johnny Wallen, groom-to-be, shows off his Cincinnati pride ahead of Super Bowl Sunday 2022.
(Rachel Hyden)
Lincoln, naturally, will be decked out for the occasion in his very own Bengals jersey.
“I honestly thought it was a joke when my brother first told me they were changing the date,” Johnny Wallen’s younger brother, Mike Wallen, shared with Fox News Digital in a text message ahead of the big day.
“I am happy to be able to celebrate the wedding and celebrate the Bengals in the Super Bowl all together at the same [time] with friends and family,” Mike Wallen added.
“Being able to marry my best friend in front of all of our family and friends and also celebrate the Cincinnati Bengals’ victory would be our perfect day!”
He noted that he was just a mere 2 years old the last time the Bengals won a playoff game before this season.
Regarding the couple’s honeymoon plans — there’s a joyous tale to tell there as well.
When Discover Puerto Rico heard about the black-and-orange-themed nuptials, the company offered the couple a honeymoon getaway to the island.
For this happy couple, it’s been a match made in Cincinnati, Ohio.
(Rachel Hyden)
Discover Puerto Rico recently partnered with Pantone Color Institute and ECOS Paints by introducing a namesake shade of orange called Puerto Rico Sunshine.
Rachel Hyden and Johnny Wallen happily accepted the offer — and are looking forward to basking in the sun after the excitement of their Super Bowl Sunday wedding day.
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Hyden, by the way, shared an additional hopeful thought with Fox News Digital ahead of her marriage.
“Being able to marry my best friend in front of all of our family and friends and also celebrate the Cincinnati Bengals’ victory would be our perfect day!”
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Something suggests that either way, this happy couple will find Super Bowl Sunday one of the most memorable days of their lives.
