Want fries on that wedding?

11 couples tie knot, courtesy of Primanti Bros.

Warmed by a scorching sun overhead and a sizzling flat-top grill clos eat hand, 11 couples from acrossthe region were wed in a mass ceremony in the Strip District on Saturday afternoon — courtesy of Primanti Bros.

The wedding was the result of a publicity stunt that Pittsburgh’s staples and wich shop chain held in February: Any couple who got engaged on Valentine’s Day at any Primanti Bros. was promised an all-expenses-paid ceremony at the company’s original Strip District location.

Mark DeNuzzio, a minister with A Simple Vow, officiated. He said the restaurant originally expected oneor two couples to participate in the promotion.

The brief outdoor ceremony took place under white tents outside the restaurant on 18th Street and was followed by a Primanti’s-catered reception. Confused tourists and Strip District shoppers occasionally wandered through the ceremony and intothe restaurant, which remained open for the lunch rush.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto addressed assembled friends and familymembers, and iconic local rocker Donnie Iris performed his hit “Love Is Like a Rock” as the recessional.

Mr. Peduto said he had “no idea” howhe became involved in the ceremony but said the wedding was “very, very much” a quintessentially Pittsburgh event.

“Everybody would want to bea part of a Pittsburgh wedding,” he said. “On a beautiful day in the middle of summer, it’s a great way for Pittsburghers to get together.”

The newly weds ran the gamut of ages and hometowns. A few said vows and snacked on sandwiches in full traditional attire, the brides donning voluminous white gowns. Others chose simpler or more colorful alternatives, including bright purple dresses and a denim suit.

One couple, Doug McEvoy and Jamie Kephart of Brentwood, opted for tie-dye to markthe occasion.

The fashion choice — and thedecision to marry at Primanti’s after spending 22 years together — are just a fewof the many ways their relationship is untraditional, they said.

Ms. Kephart, 40, met Mr. McEvoy,42, at a bus stop on Salisbury Street when the two were 18 and 20, respectively. Quickly they began dating, moved in together, and had three children, now 20,18, and 17, who Ms. Kephart said the couple wanted to “beat” to marriage. She wasthe one who proposed to Mr. McEvoy. (On Valentine’s Day.At Primanti’s.)

“Thisis his favorite sandwichshop, so it was kind of nostalgic in a way,” Ms. Kephart said.

Afterthe ceremony and Primanti’s reception, the couple hosted 120 friends and family at an after-party they dubbed “Wedstock.” Guests were asked to wear tie-dye as thegroup ate picnic fare and listenedto live music in the South Hills.

“We pretty much always break the rules,” Ms. Kephart said. “I brought my own flowers to shove in the bouquets so I don’t match everyone. Wedefinitely move our feet tothe beat of our own drum.”

Another couple said similar factors motivated them to participate. Leonard Wiley, 58,of Baldwin Borough, said he proposed to Dee VanBuskirk, 50, after decades of partner ship simply because it “sounded like fun.”

“We saw it on the TV — ‘Love at First Bite.’ We thought it’d be more fun than atraditional wedding,” Mr. Wiley said. “We like being quirky, different.”

Though they never had an urgent desire to get married, Ms. VanBuskirk said she knew “from the very beginning” the two would be in for the long haul, after they locked eyes in her father’s bar when she was 17.

“Our eyes kind of twinkled whenwe saw each other,” Mr. Wiley said. “I asked her to dance —”

“Andthe rest is history,” Ms. VanBuskirk added.

Mr. Wiley said he was confident that proposing to Ms. VanBuskirk would be easy. Butwhen he got down on one knee at the Primanti’s on Clairton Boulevard, he said, words failed him.

“Ihad this speech built up from spending more than half ofmy life with her, but I got all chokedup and could hardly talk,” he said. “I ended up just saying, ‘I love you. Will you marryme?’ I thought it would just come out smooth, but I still get a little emotional when I think about it.”

Duringthe ceremony, the couples gathered around Mr. DeNuzzioin a semicircle before their guests (each pair was allotted a maximum of 14).To save time, he asked thegroup to participate in a “Mad Libs-style” sermon, in which each couple supplied oneword to form a story about all of their relationships combined.

Atthe end of the ceremony, Mr. DeNuzzio stepped aside to allow Toni Haggerty —who has worked at the original Primanti’s for 45 years— to close the proceedings.

“Welcometo Primanti’s, andyou may kiss the bride,” Ms. Haggerty said, to cheers.