Chesapeake couple celebrates anniversaries at McDonald's

When the couple married April 18, 1981, all they could fit in between visiting with friends and family was a couple of bites of cake during their small reception in Yorktown.

Later that night, en route to the Shenandoah Valley in their Volkswagen, Beth declared, "I'm hungry."

"Me, too," said Ed, and the newlyweds pulled off at a Charlottesville McDonald's.

They decided over Big Macs, fries and orange sodas that the double arches would be the perfect place to celebrate every anniversary.

"Regardless of where we are in life, we knew this would be a tradition we could afford," said Beth, a seventh-grader teacher at Hampton's Eaton Middle School. "We haven't missed one yet."

This year's dinner had a special twist, courtesy of daughter Katy and a little help from McDonald's corporate offices.

Katy shared her parents' story, and McDonald's surprised the couple with candles, balloons, carrot cake and champagne. Everything was set up in a private room at the McDonald's on Western Branch Boulevard.

"Dinner is on us tonight," said Jim Wheeler, providing table service.

Wheeler owns that McDonald's and five others with wife Leslie. And wouldn't you know it? The Wheelers met at McDonald's before marrying 23 years ago.

Last week, Ed suggested lunch at McDonald's given that the couple work so close to each other, but Beth wouldn't hear of it. Gotta be dinner, she told her hubby.

"It's tradition," she said. "And it works."

Vicki L. Friedman, (757) 222-5218, vicki.friedman@pilotonline.com