Where the rubber meets the road: A Corvette love story
2025-05-13
BOWLING GREEN, Ky - They say love comes when you least expect it – and that couldn’t be truer for newlyweds Lon Solomita and Hanna Shmatkova. After three years together – and a new lease on life for Solomita - the pair tied the knot recently in a ceremony dedicated to their mutual love for the iconic Chevrolet Corvette.
Museum matrimony
Groom Solomita is more than a Corvette fan; he's also a founding member of the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, which sits just down the road from General Motors’ Bowling Green Assembly plant, home of the Chevrolet Corvette. It was only fitting that Solomita chose the museum to tie the knot with his bride – his love for the iconic sports car goes back decades.
“My passion for Corvettes came at an early age, when my father, also a car nut, would buy me Corvette models,” said Solomita. “I was with him when I saw my first Corvette at a gas station at eight years old. I still remember it was Monaco Orange (my favorite color), and the owner let me sit in it. I was hooked!”
It was no surprise to his bride-to-be when Solomita suggested that their wedding be Corvette themed and hosted during this year’s National Corvette Museum Bash, an annual event held to celebrate the iconic sports car.
“On one of our first dates, we went for a drive to coastal Connecticut in Lon's 2020 Corvette, which he named Eve,” said Shmatkova. “When he suggested we get married at the museum, I thought, ‘this is part of our story – so why not!’”
CAPTION: Solomita and Shmatkova sit inside a white Corvette at the Corvette Bash event at the National Corvette Museum. (Photo courtesy of Mandy Walker Photography)
The couple said “I do” on April 26, 2025, during the annual Corvette Bash - an event that brings hundreds of enthusiasts, vendors, and collectors to the museum. The ceremony took place inside the museum’s Skydome and was officiated by Ray Theriault, plant director at Bowling Green Assembly.
“I knew being the plant director at Bowling Green would bring some new experiences, but I never thought ‘officiating a Corvette enthusiast’s wedding’ would be one of them,” Theriault said. “It really was an honor.”
As the ceremony ended, Theriault’s words echoed through the Skydome: “Like a well-engineered Corvette, may your marriage be powerful yet graceful, classic yet innovative, and built to go the distance.”
Surrounded by a crowd of fellow Corvette enthusiasts and museum staff, Solomita kissed his bride to the distinct roar of a Corvette engine.
CAPTION: Solomita signs the marriage license following his wedding ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Mandy Walker Photography)
Love of a lifetime
The couple’s love story began when they met through a mutual friend in June 2022, just after the Covid pandemic hit the U.S. Shmatkova was living in Ukraine when she was introduced to Solomita, who lives in North Carolina. Despite the language barrier and more than 4,500 miles of distance, the two quickly fell in love.
"I was immediately drawn to her sense of humor, intelligence, and sensibility. And it’s amazing that she’s able to put up with me and my quirks!” Solomita said with a laugh.
Solomita and Shmatkova’s wedding not only celebrated their love, but also highlighted the importance of organ donation, a cause close to Solomita’s heart – literally.
In November 2018, he suffered a heart attack while working out at his local gym, only surviving after a quick-acting nurse used the gym’s onsite AED to save his life. Following the attack, he was told he’d need a heart transplant to survive.
“I was at a friend’s Labor Day party in 2019 when I got the call that a matching donor had been found,” he said. “I share my ‘second life day’ with the anniversary of the opening of the National Corvette Museum, September 2,” Solomita said. “It’s just another interesting coincidence and tie to Corvette.”
That passion is one reason Theriault was excited to officiate the couple’s wedding.
“I was hesitant, but Lon and Hanna won me over with their incredible story and Lon’s goal of raising awareness for organ donation,” he said.
So what’s next for the couple? Solomita definitely has plans.
“Growing old together,” he says. “And plenty more rides in Corvettes.”
Find more stories about the iconic Chevrolet Corvette on GM News:
Solomita and Shmatkova tied the knot in the Skydome of the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky (Photo courtesy of Mandy Walker Photography)
BOWLING GREEN, Ky - They say love comes when you least expect it – and that couldn’t be truer for newlyweds Lon Solomita and Hanna Shmatkova. After three years together – and a new lease on life for Solomita - the pair tied the knot recently in a ceremony dedicated to their mutual love for the iconic Chevrolet Corvette.
Museum matrimony
Groom Solomita is more than a Corvette fan; he's also a founding member of the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, which sits just down the road from General Motors’ Bowling Green Assembly plant, home of the Chevrolet Corvette. It was only fitting that Solomita chose the museum to tie the knot with his bride – his love for the iconic sports car goes back decades.
“My passion for Corvettes came at an early age, when my father, also a car nut, would buy me Corvette models,” said Solomita. “I was with him when I saw my first Corvette at a gas station at eight years old. I still remember it was Monaco Orange (my favorite color), and the owner let me sit in it. I was hooked!”
It was no surprise to his bride-to-be when Solomita suggested that their wedding be Corvette themed and hosted during this year’s National Corvette Museum Bash, an annual event held to celebrate the iconic sports car.
“On one of our first dates, we went for a drive to coastal Connecticut in Lon's 2020 Corvette, which he named Eve,” said Shmatkova. “When he suggested we get married at the museum, I thought, ‘this is part of our story – so why not!’”
Solomita and Shmatkova sit inside a white Corvette at the Corvette Bash event at the National Corvette Museum. (Photo courtesy of Mandy Walker Photography)
The couple said “I do” on April 26, 2025, during the annual Corvette Bash - an event that brings hundreds of enthusiasts, vendors, and collectors to the museum. The ceremony took place inside the museum’s Skydome and was officiated by Ray Theriault, plant director at Bowling Green Assembly.
“I knew being the plant director at Bowling Green would bring some new experiences, but I never thought ‘officiating a Corvette enthusiast’s wedding’ would be one of them,” Theriault said. “It really was an honor.”
As the ceremony ended, Theriault’s words echoed through the Skydome: “Like a well-engineered Corvette, may your marriage be powerful yet graceful, classic yet innovative, and built to go the distance.”
Surrounded by a crowd of fellow Corvette enthusiasts and museum staff, Solomita kissed his bride to the distinct roar of a Corvette engine.
Solomita signs the marriage license following his wedding ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Mandy Walker Photography)
Love of a lifetime
The couple’s love story began when they met through a mutual friend in June 2022, just after the Covid pandemic hit the U.S. Shmatkova was living in Ukraine when she was introduced to Solomita, who lives in North Carolina. Despite the language barrier and more than 4,500 miles of distance, the two quickly fell in love.
"I was immediately drawn to her sense of humor, intelligence, and sensibility. And it’s amazing that she’s able to put up with me and my quirks!” Solomita said with a laugh.
Solomita and Shmatkova’s wedding not only celebrated their love, but also highlighted the importance of organ donation, a cause close to Solomita’s heart – literally.
In November 2018, he suffered a heart attack while working out at his local gym, only surviving after a quick-acting nurse used the gym’s onsite AED to save his life. Following the attack, he was told he’d need a heart transplant to survive.
“I was at a friend’s Labor Day party in 2019 when I got the call that a matching donor had been found,” he said. “I share my ‘second life day’ with the anniversary of the opening of the National Corvette Museum, September 2,” Solomita said. “It’s just another interesting coincidence and tie to Corvette.”
That passion is one reason Theriault was excited to officiate the couple’s wedding.
“I was hesitant, but Lon and Hanna won me over with their incredible story and Lon’s goal of raising awareness for organ donation,” he said.
So what’s next for the couple? Solomita definitely has plans.
“Growing old together,” he says. “And plenty more rides in Corvettes.”
Find more stories about the iconic Chevrolet Corvette on GM News:
