They came for the low prices and stayed for the lifetime commitment.
A couple that first met in a North Carolina Wal-Mart returned to the same store to hold their wedding ceremony in the layaway section.
Wayne Brandenburg told CNN said he would casually browse through the store a few times a week before meeting his future wife, Susan, who was working as a cashier in the store.
“I’d ask her how she was that day, and tell her she looked very nice,” he said.
Eventually, Wayne built up the courage to ask Susan on a date. His wife had previously died and Susan was working at the store after her divorce. Susan accepted the invitation to a Chinese buffet dinner and each of them brought their two grandchildren along for the night so Susan would feel comfortable.
After that first date, Wayne says he had fallen for Susan and began bringing her favorite lunch to Wal-Mart each day.
“He was very much a gentleman, and I looked forward to seeing him,” she said.
And while the story might sound a bit unusual, it’s actually somewhat common, according to one study. In fact, Psychology Today says Wal-Mart is the most popular place for Americans to fall in love at first sight.
“Perhaps the saying should go, ‘Love comes when you least expect it—or when you go to Wal-Mart,’” said Wal-Mart spokesperson Ashley Hardie..
A year later, Wayne proposed. Susan accepted, but they couple were not officially married until six years later. When they were trying to decide where to hold the reception, Wayne said he came up with the idea of getting married in the store where they had first met.
“I first said it as a joke,” Wayne said. “But we batted it around and realized that it’s where we met, where we dated and where most of her friends worked, so we asked the store and they gave us their blessing.”
The wedding cake even came from the store’s bakery, although Susan’s grandchildren insisted on sprucing it up before the ceremony. They were reportedly joined by family, friends and even some store customers who stopped in to observe the ceremony.
