Love under the golden arches: A pair of McDonald's employees married at their branch
The unconventional wedding took place inside the fast-food restaurant where the couple works, while the drive-thru service continued to operate as usual. A recording by one of the customers went viral and sparked a heated discussion online: 'In today's economic situation, I completely understand them.'
Jamie and George Clickwat, a couple from the city of Akron in Ohio, USA, decided to exchange vows at their shared workplace — the local McDonald's branch on Thornton Street. The unconventional ceremony was documented by one of the customers, and the video quickly went viral on social media, as reported by the TMZ website. The couple said that while the restaurant's dining area was closed for the event, the drive-thru service continued to operate as usual.
The celebration took place in the restaurant's main service area. As reported in People magazine, the bride entered the hall from the staff corridor, while the place was decorated with balloons in the chain's red and yellow colors. In the video, the officiant is seen standing in front of a microphone, while a bridesmaid scatters flower petals from a McDonald's cardboard box.
The dress code also reflected the chain's branding: the groom wore a black shirt and a red tie, and the groomsmen wore matching red outfits. The bride wore a lace dress, and a colleague even baked their wedding cake.
The idea to get married at the restaurant initially came up as a joke from one of the managers, but the couple decided to embrace it warmly after their colleagues became a second family to them. "I moved to Akron shortly after we got engaged and applied to work here," Jamie said. "I started working right next to George. Today we work together on the opening shifts five days a week."
The chain supported the event and provided the decorations, and the branch manager even allowed the children who attended the event to eat from the menu for free. However, for the adult guests, the couple brought their own refreshments, which included rigatoni pasta, pulled meat, and dips.
The unconventional choice sparked mixed reactions online. Alongside confusion, many users praised the couple for the cost-effective move and originality. "In the current economic situation, I completely understand it," one user wrote, and another called the move "iconic." A relative of the couple explained on social media that beyond the humor and the connection to the staff, the cost of a traditional wedding was simply too high for them.
The couple spent their honeymoon at the "Cedar Point" amusement park, the place where they first met. And if you are wondering about etiquette — at the end of the festivities, the newlyweds took off their wedding clothes and stayed with the best man to help the staff clean the restaurant. "We didn't want to leave all the mess for our friends," they concluded.
