Yahoo News Former Dairy Queen Coworkers Get Married After Meeting on the Job: See the Photos! (Exclusive)
Zach and Elizabeth Collins first met after he was tasked with showing her how to make a Dilly Bar on her first day of work at Dairy Queen
Lindsey Zern Photography
It's an ice cream "I do!"
When Elizabeth Collins showed up for her first day of work at Dairy Queen in 2009, she had no idea she was about to meet her future husband Zach.
"When she first came in, I was like, 'Oh, this is a pretty cute girl,'" recalls Zach. "I was glad that they kind of left me in charge of showing her the ropes and making Dilly Bars."
At the time, "I think I was just trying to survive and learn how to do the job," recalls Elizabeth, but that would soon change.
On May 14, the couple celebrated their one year wedding anniversary. "One thing I can always say about Zach is that he has been one of my best friends since I met him in high school," Elizabeth tells PEOPLE exclusively. "And that continues."
Lindsey Zern Photography
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During their early blizzard-making days, neither was interested in a romance since they were preparing to go off to different colleges. Even when the duo was reassigned to work at different DQ restaurants, they remained friends
"The flirtation might have kicked up a notch," jokes Elizabeth. "I definitely think that there was always something there that we ignored for a very long time."
After graduation, Elizabeth moved to Washington, D.C., while Zach lived in North Carolina, but the pair stayed in touch. One day, Elizabeth called Zach and asked if he wanted to go on a date. From there, they dated long-distance before Elizabeth relocated to North Carolina during the pandemic.
Elizabeth & Zach Collins
"The long distance was really challenging for about a year or so," says Zach. "On the weekends, Elizabeth or myself would drive to D.C. or North Carolina or vice versa."
On March 6, 2021, Zach popped the question to his bride at a place that's always been special to the couple.
"It took place at a small park close to where me and Elizabeth would hang out in high school," he says. "She was actually the one that showed me where the place was. I didn't know it even existed."
When the duo began planning their nuptials, they decided to exchange vows at the same place where they got engaged.
As for the wedding itself, making Dairy Queen a part of the festivities only felt right.
"Everyone knows that Dairy Queen is how we met," she says. "We'd been friends for a decade before we started dating, but it has always been our common tie. And our old manager, Gwen, who still works at the Dairy Queen in our hometown, she even made all of the Dilly Bars for our guests, so it was a very special thing. We knew we wanted to incorporate [DQ] in the wedding day."
Related: Dairy Queen Is Selling Blizzards for 85 Cents This Week to Celebrate Their New Summer Menu
At the reception the pair hung a sign over the Dilly Bar display with a throwback photo of the couple at work. "Everyone thought it was a really cute," she says. "And Dilly Bars are very portable, so they were all over the place on the dance floor. People were able to just continue partying, which was fun."
Following their wedding, the official Dairy Queen Instagram account shared a clip of Zach reading his vows to Elizabeth — and of course, he included a nod to their ice cream love story.
"I am so blessed and I'm thankful I was the lucky guy to teach you how to make a perfect Dilly Bar," he said.
Adds Elizabeth: "Everybody has a special love story. Everyone had that one person from that time where they were in love. I think for Zach and I, it's very cute that the Dairy Queen franchise cares about our story. "
To this day, the couple still hits up their favorite spot every other week.
"We probably have $300 worth of Dairy Queen gift cards," says Elizabeth. "It's the number one gift people give us for Easter, Valentine's Day or our anniversary. We have a ton of them and I'm a very big sweets person. It's is still very much part of our lives."
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