Sometimes the most important places in our lives aren’t the places you would traditionally think of.

For some a home holds the most memories. But not everyone is lucky enough to have a place to call home.

For one new bride, her childhood was full of instability and fear. Until one day when she walked into a White Castle.

Jamie West was a child without a home most of her young life. She spent more than 8 years in and out of at least 94 foster homes, she said.

At the young age of 12, she did something most kids that age wouldn’t think of doing – she hitchhiked from Arizona, where she had been living in a homeless camp near a university, to California.

Jamie West as a small child. Photo courtesy of West

By 16, she was living on beaches, and had gotten addicted to drugs and alcohol. But one day, she got a glimpse of a kindness she hadn’t seen in so long.

She was thirsty and stumbled into a White Castle in a strange town. She asked for water.

This woman working there said, ‘Oh, Sugar, you poor thing — go get yourself cleaned up in the bathroom,’” West recalled.

“I went in there and cried, then washed up. When I came out, these big sacks filled with slider hamburgers were waiting for me.”

The employee told her that she didn’t want to toss the food out, so West could have them. West said she was so moved by the gesture, that she hugged the woman, before quickly grabbing the food and running out.

“Every time after that, when I saw a White Castle, I knew it was somewhere that I would be safe to run to, and if I was starving, I would be able to get fed,” West says.

“It wasn’t something I wanted to take advantage of because the system was so pure. And it was such a beautiful experience to get treated like a human being. I didn’t want to ruin it.”

After a few years, West began to get her life back on track. She moved back to Arizona where she met her now-husband, Drew Schmitt.

A lifelong fan of White Castle, she and Schmitt even attended the opening of a new restaurant, in full royal regalia: gowns, crowns, axes and swords.

In 2019, West heard that a White Castle would be open near her home in Scottsdale, Arizona. She was so excited that she got crowns, axes, and swords and camped outside with Schmitt on the opening day.

Jamie West and Drew Schmitt, center, celebrate their White Castle wedding with their friends. Photo by Laura Segall

White Castle even inducted West into their hall of fame, after hearing her story. But even more, it was at that grand opening that West and Schmitt got engaged. 

Then a few years later, when it was time for the wedding, they both knew where they had to have their ceremony. Dressed in royal regalia, the two married at the White Castle restaurant. The bride and groom, along with their guests, carried swords and other fun gear.

My dress was a quinceañera dress because it’s our 15th year together,” shared West.

From sliders for the meal and a slider-shaped wedding cake to dehydrated onions thrown by the flower girls, the couple didn’t skimp on the White Castle details.

“We’re so thankful that we found each other and have become each other’s partners and best friends,” Schmitt said. “Jamie has been through tough challenges in her life, so it is wonderful that she’s now in this happy place.”

West said most importantly, she owed a debt of gratitude to that long-ago employee. “Thank you for being the reason I exist right now, not knowing what you were doing and just feeding somebody because you’re a good human.”

Watch the heartwarming story below.

Sources: My Positive Outlooks | People