After 15 years together, the king and queen of White Castle, Drew and Jamie Schmitt, tied the knot at the Scottsdale White Castle on Cinco de Mayo.

Hosting a fairy tale wedding at White Castle had always been in the works for newlyweds because the restaurant was a refuge for Jamie, who endured physical and sexual abuse at a young age while in Child Protective Services (CPS).

As a homeless teenager, White Castle was the home that Jamie never had, providing her with safety and sustenance after she ran away from CPS.

“I realized that CPS was going to kill me one of these days, and so I finally had enough of running to them that I started running away from them,” Jamie said, who found a group of foster kids and “street rats” on Mill Avenue who took care of each other.

Acts of kindness

After years of hitchhiking and finding shelter wherever she could, Jamie happened upon a White Castle which gave her water, a stack of burgers and access to the bathroom.

“Every time I walked into a White Castle, I was greeted warmly. No matter how dirty, I was offered water freely; if I had $1 or $3, I was gifted with as many spare sliders as they could afford to personally give me,” Jamie said in a speech during their Cravers Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2019.

It was at that ceremony in Ohio when Drew dropped down to one knee and asked Jamie to marry him.

Drew grew up near Columbus, Ohio, just outside the restaurant’s headquarters where he loved stopping in and enjoying a slider and fries as a kid. When he found out that White Castle was Jamie’s safehouse, Drew said the restaurant became even more meaningful to him.

“It’s all to try to raise awareness for the CPS system,” Drew said. “We need to fund it better and we need to patrol it better.”

Medieval wedding

Jamie and Drew, who together run Schmitt Roofing in Fountain Hills, said it still feels surreal just a few weeks out from their wedding celebration. Commemorating 15 years together, Jamie wore a royal blue quinceañeradress and Drew was fitted with a sword, kilt and articulating armor.

“We went down to the Renaissance Fair and they fitted me with a sample piece and the guy actually hit me a few times in the chest, demonstrating this is real armor,” Drew said.

After the ceremony, cheese sliders, fries and onion chips were dished up, hot and fresh for the taking. To top it all off, a cake was served in the shape of a giant White Castle slider.

Onion chips were tossed in lieu of florals and bagpipes rang out as Jamie and Drew walked down the aisle.

As a special touch during the ceremony, the newlyweds had their rings tattooed on their fingers and were married by fellow Cravers Hall of Fame member, Walter Buttkus.

Raise awareness

After receiving national attention for their story, Jamie and Drew explain that the reason for all the pomp and circumstance is not only to lift up good businesses like White Castle, but to bring light to the CPS situation in Arizona.

“I want people to realize that CPS isn’t just something to get back at your neighbor or your relative with. This is an extreme situation system and it’s not always a better situation that you’re putting the kid in,” Jamie said. “My goal is to try and get the story out across as many spectrums as I can so other kids who are growing up like I did know there’s hope and that they can do anything they want.”