Human Interest

Couple Who Met at Subway Return to Sandwich Chain for Wedding Photo Shoot: 'Divine Intervention'

Zack Williams decided to drive to the Subway farther away from his job in December 2017 — and that decision led him to his now-wife Julie

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Published on October 26, 2021 05:11 PM

Julie Bushart & Zack Williams — Julie Bushart and Zack Williams at their Subway wedding shoot. Photo: Nic Antaya/AP Images for Subway

Two strangers found love at a Michigan Subway – and now they're returning to the beloved sandwich shop to celebrate their nuptials!

Julie Bushart Williams and Zack Williams believe they were destined to meet on Dec. 8, 2017, when they both stopped by their local Subway for lunch, according to their wedding website on The Knot.

"We both agree that 12/8/2017 was fate and God had a plan to put us in each other's paths that day for a reason," their site reads.

Thanks to Zack's spur-of-the-moment decision to drive to a Subway farther from his job, and some magic from Julie's "wing-mom," the two were introduced and went on their first date.

After dating for nearly four years, the couple tied the knot on Friday in Plymouth, Michigan — but not without marking the occasion with a special Subway-themed photo shoot.

"It's definitely something that we will look back on and remember as a fun experience," Julie, 29, told Good Morning America.

As Julie recalled on The Knot, she had been out shopping with her mom when they decided to pop into her favorite lunch spot for a sandwich. As soon as she walked in, Julie spotted "a good-looking guy" in front of her.

That guy turned out to be Zack, 34, who had been selling cars at a nearby dealership and randomly decided to drive to the Subway from his job for lunch, according to GMA.

"My mom starts nudging me uncontrollably as I try not to start giggling," Julie recalled on The Knot. "After he got his food, he went to sit down. So we decided to do the same."

While sitting and enjoying their lunch, Julie's mom was persistent in trying to get her to give her number to the "good-looking guy."

"My mom says to me, 'You're giving him your number!' Anybody who knows me, knows I'm WAY too shy for that," Julie explained. "So I said, 'YOU go give him my number.' "

Putting their heads together, the mother-daughter duo decided that Julie's mom would write her daughter's number on their receipt and then hand it to the guy in the parking lot once he left, the site stated.

"When he got up to leave, I never saw my mom move so fast," Julie recalled. "She caught up to him before he got into his car (as I'm watching from inside, absolutely mortified) and gave him my number."

"He called me a half-hour later and the rest is history," she added. "Talk about the ultimate wing-MOM! Our first date was two days later."

Zack told GMA that he had a similar perspective on the meet-cute and immediately noticed Julie walk into the restaurant with her mom.

Though he thought Julie was "beautiful," he admitted that he was too nervous to approach her and say hi.

"All of a sudden her mom is chasing me down saying, 'Excuse me, sir, you don't happen to be single?' " Zack recalled to the outlet. "I thought, this is a sign from God. I knew it was divine intervention, and I had to call and ask her on a date."

On Dec. 10, 2017, the pair went on their first date. A year later, they marked their anniversary by returning to that same Subway — a place the couple told GMA they are "quite literally obsessed" with.

Then, in September 2020, Zack popped the question to Julie on Mackinac Island. After she said yes, Zack suggested they reach out to Subway and share the happy news.

"I knew our story was crazy, so I really wanted it to be heard," Zack told the outlet. "I decided to reach out to Subway and wrote them an email explaining our story. Someone got to us within the week."

The team at Subway was so thrilled by the news that they offered to provide the couple with a wedding photo shoot at the restaurant where they first met, GMA reported.

In the shots, the pair are seen wearing their tux and white gown as they smile in front of the restaurant, enjoy a Subway sandwich and pose atop a Subway-themed BMW convertible.

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And that wasn't all: the restaurant chain also delivered late-night sandwiches and cookies to all of their guests at their wedding, according to GMA.

"What has happened since that initial reach out is really amazing," Julie told the outlet.

Subway has not publicly commented on the matter, and did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Now happily married, the pair have jetted off to Hawaii to celebrate their honeymoon. As they look ahead to their future, they tell PEOPLE they can't wait to make more memories together.

"As a married couple, we're most looking forward to sharing in all of life's great adventures together," Julie says. "And sharing our love story with our kids someday!"