Couple to wed at Walmart: 'All of our friends are here'

SALINE, MI - Merissa Anderson and David Medford immediately hit it off when they started working together at Walmart in Guilford, Connecticut, about four years ago.

Medford, originally from North Carolina, had landed in Connecticut after serving in the Coast Guard. Anderson, who is from the Ann Arbor area, transferred to the store in Guilford after working at the Walmart in Saline.

They both felt the spark, but it would have been considered a conflict of interest if they started dating. Medford worked in asset protection at the store, and Anderson was the customer service manager.

Medford asked to be transferred to a different position - unloading merchandise - so he could pursue a relationship with Anderson. They started dating a few months after they met and then soon got engaged and moved in together.

"I think we always just kind of clicked," Anderson said. "There was always something there."

About three years ago, Anderson was facing several surgeries and wanted to be closer to her family in Michigan, so the couple transferred to the Walmart store in Saline. Medford is a sales floor associate, and Anderson is a customer service desk associate.

On Sunday, Sept. 24, the couple will be married at the garden center patio at Walmart in Saline, surrounded by co-workers, friends and family. Look for photos and video of the ceremony from The Ann Arbor News and MLive.

Getting married at Walmart started out as a joke, Anderson said, but the more she and Medford talked about it, the more it made sense. Anderson and Medford are both 37, and they live in Grass Lake.

"It was one of those things we joked about a lot. We didn't know where we wanted to get married, and we didn't have a lot of money to do anything big," Anderson said. "Everybody we know works at Walmart. ... It's pretty much like our family now and all of our friends are here."

Julie Trejo, the store manager, will walk Anderson down the aisle as her 17-year-old son Drake Ely plays the Bridal Chorus on guitar. Anderson typically uses crutches, but she's determined to walk without them down the aisle. William Anderson, a support manager at the store, will perform the ceremony.

A reception will follow in the employee breakroom, with a three-tier chocolate cake - courtesy of the Walmart bakery. Most of Medford's family - including his 11-year-old daughter - lives in North Carolina and won't be able to attend the ceremony, Anderson said. The majority of the 60 to 80 guests they're expecting will be their co-workers.

"It's one of those things where when you work together for so long and spend so much time together you get to know each other very well," Anderson said of the close-knit friendships she and Medford have developed with their coworkers. "All of the venting through the day and sharing stories and being able to lean on each other really, really helps."

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