Burger King to pay for wedding of couple named 'Burger,' 'King'

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- With this onion ring, I thee wed.

Joel and Ashley may seem like a typical couple, but some are declaring the pair fast food royalty, as their surnames are Burger and King, respectively. Their whopper-sized love stretches back to elementary school during a yo-yo assembly.

"The guy at the assembly was a motivational speaker, and he used yo-yos," Ashley told the State Journal-Register. "He asked the two fifth-grade (student council) representatives to stand up as he wanted the students to applaud our efforts in helping set up his event. As soon as he said, 'Joel Burger and Ashley King,' he started to laugh out loud and pronounced we were 'Burger King.'"

The name stuck, as Joel and Ashley remained close friends throughout high school and began dating in college, where Burger was studying at Monmouth College and King at the University of Illinois Springfield. But no distance was too long to cool down this flame-broiled romance.

"We have yet to escape the teasing," Ashley told the State Journal-Register. "But we have fully embraced our nickname."

And it's that nickname that got them global attention and a free wedding from the fast food giant itself.

The restaurant had a Skype session with the couple Monday, and the company finished it with some big news: Their wedding would be paid for.

"When we heard about the happy, Burger-King couple, we felt an overwhelming urge to celebrate their upcoming marriage," a Burger King spokesperson told ABC in a statement. "On so many levels, it felt like fate: they found each other and their story found us."

The couple told the Journal-Register that they are completely blown away by the offer.

The whopper of a wedding will take place July 17.