Does This Couple Have The Best Married Name? Or the Absolute Worst?

When preparing for marriage, ample time needs to be spent on the question of whether to change your last name, hyphenate it or just leave the entire thing alone. One Illinois couple, now gaining national attention, has decided to go all in with their new last names. And you know what? I’m loving it. Or having it my way. Wait, which one is which?

Meet Joel Burger and Ashley King, two people so madly in love that they’ve decided to not only get married but be known as the Burger-Kings forever. Not only that, but any future children they have will also probably have the Burger-King last name, which will likely makes school as much of a breeze as it would for someone named Clytemnestra. But the Joel and Ashley aren’t thinking about that right now. All they’re thinking about is how awesome it will be to be known as the Burger Kings. And also how much in love they are, can’t forget that.

Assuring the world that they’re not just getting married for the publicity and possible endorsement deals (come on, is Burger King going to cater their wedding for free or not?) the couple has told The State Journal Register that they’ve been dating since college but have known each other since kindergarten. And in fifth grade someone first figured out how well their names go together:

Ashley explains the origin: “We had a yo-yo assembly …”

Stop right there. What’s a yo-yo assembly?

“I just remember they had a bunch of yo-yos. The guy at the assembly was a motivational speaker, and he used yo-yos.”

OK, proceed.

“After the man was finished with his motivational speech, 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’”

Finally embracing both the nicknames that inevitably went along with their last names as well as fate, Burger and King are getting married. They even took photos in front of a Burger King as part of an (unofficial) engagement shoot (doesn’t that just make them regular pictures then?).

“We have yet to escape the teasing,” Ashley says, “but we have fully embraced our nickname.”