Frying the knot: Utah couple get married at Wendy's restaurant

Emily Havens | The Spectrum

At most, the best thing an ordinary person has walked out of a Wendy's restaurant with has been a juicy Baconator or a savory cup of chili.

That is, until Friday, when Abram Thompson and Jessica Aikens left a St. George Wendy's with a pair of wedding rings as they began their married lives together.

Although the venue was unconventional, the bride, groom and wedding party were dressed to perfection for the ceremony, which was also unique to the couple's love story.

Officiator Mikey Foley, a local radio-show host, joked that upon meeting each other for the first time, "Jessica thought deep, meaningful thoughts like, 'One day I'm going to marry that man ... in a Wendy's.' "

Abram and Jessica were wed inside the dining area; the restaurant was closed during the nuptials. There with decorations that included Wendy's memorabilia, an altar decorated with flowers and, of course, Frostys for everyone.

Radio contest serves up best day of couple's life

One of Southern Utah's radio stations, Star 98 FM, decided it wanted to sponsor and organize what radio-show host Matt Wilber said was the first marriage ceremony inside a Wendy's in the United States.

Wendy's is the radio station's studio sponsor, and every aspect of the wedding — from the decor, to the formal attire, to the rings and professional photography — was donated to the couple. The only catch for the contest? Get married at Wendy's.

"We took a lot of qualifiers for the radio contest and ended up picking Jessica and Abram," Wilber said. "It was a couple of months of planning and putting everything in place."

Wilber said Jessica came into the station and was on board from the beginning. There was no nervousness or second-guessing on the part of the couple, he said.

"We wanted to make sure Abram was on board, and Jessica just called him up and they said, 'Let's do it,' " Wilber said. "It was the most laid-back decision. We said, 'Are you sure you guys don't want to talk about it? Are you sure you really know what you're getting into?' There was never a hesitation. It was just great."

So with that, and help from Wilber's co-host Emyle Clark, they began making plans and working with the couple around the clock to do something none of them had ever done before: Plan a wedding inside a fast-food restaurant.

'Why knot?'

Jessica said the decision to have their wedding ceremony at Wendy's was an easy one. When the opportunity to have her entire wedding paid for arose, she simply asked herself, "Why not?"

"We've been together for five years, and we've built a life together," she said.

The couple have a 2-year-old son together, and Jessica said money was always the barrier that stopped the two from exchanging vows officially.

She said she and Abram have loved each other for years, and they didn't feel as though they needed a fancy, expensive venue to further solidify that fact. It simply came down to: Who cares where we get married?

"We've been wanting to get married, but the funds were never there and would never be there," Jessica said. "Wendy's is just the venue. The people who were here, they're real, they love us, and we love them. We love each other."

Several area businesses donated necessary items for the big day, including the couple's rings, which they had never seen until they exchanged them in front of their friends and family.

Wilber said the station wanted to surprise the couple with one thing, and it decided the rings would be the perfect way to do that.

When Abram was asked what his friends and family thought of the odd location, he said everyone was supportive.

"They said it's going to be different and fun, and it just fits us," Abram said.

A love story immersed in food

As Foley stood underneath the altar with Jessica and Abram, donning an official Wendy's apron, he spoke of the couple's love story.

The two met five years ago when Jessica was working as a waitress at George's Corner, another St. George restaurant.

"I was crushing on (Abram) for four months before we even met," Jessica recalled. "Every time he would come in, I would say, 'Who is that guy?' "

The ceremony was laden in puns and jokes, which fit the light-hearted nature of the event. Foley even joked Jessica was "smitten" and perhaps acted like a bit of a stalker when the two initially started spending time together.

Abram is a tattoo artist, and the two hit it off immediately.

"Jessica, being totally smooth and not at all obvious, said, 'Oh my gosh, I'm actually looking to get a tattoo!' " Foley said, garnering laughs from the audience.

Eventually, the two had their first official date at another eatery: Denny's.

They would spend their days talking for hours as Jessica visited Abram in the tattoo shop. Abram said he did most of Jessica's tattoos.

"Marriage is much like the tattoos you wear: It's meant to be both beautiful and permanent," Foley said. "Much like a tattoo, marriage after a while simply becomes part of who you are. Here's my advice to you: May your marriage be just as permanent and beautiful as Johnny Depp on your forearm."

Foley went on to explain Jessica and Abram are unique, and their relationship has never been about being ordinary.

The jokes kept the ceremony lively as Foley kept the crowd laughing, with puns like "double-stack your affirmations of respect," "may your love always be fresh and never frozen," and "romance is like a baked potato — it's better when it's cheesy."

"To be married in a church, it's too formal," Foley said."To be married in a courthouse, that's not personal; and to get married at the beach, there's no hamburgers at the beach."

"This is the only wedding I've ever had, so it's the most unique wedding I've ever been in," Jessica said.

Follow reporter Emily Havens on Twitter, @EmilyJHavens, and find her on Facebook at facebook.com/emilyjhavens. Call her at 435-674-6214 or email her at ehavens@thespectrum.com.

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