Are you getting married soon? Having a wedding, the whole shebang? And are you kind of into the idea of carrying something with you as you walk down the aisle, but not really in love with flowers? Good news: You can now carry a pizza bouquet at your wedding, courtesy of Villa Italian Kitchen. And hey, you want to know the best part? You might not even have to pay for it. The pizza chain is currently running a giveaway for newlyweds-to-be, with the prize being a glorious, edible creation that will accompany you as you say your “I dos.”
Unusual — and, in many cases, edible — bouquet options seem to be a growing trend; what's more, it's not just for weddings, either. Remember the lucky gal who received a bouquet of chicken nuggets from her boyfriend last year? And the woman who proposed to her boyfriend with a Doritos bouquet? And the cannabis bouquet one grower in California makes? There are plenty of non-floral bouquet varieties available now if flowers just aren’t your thing — but honestly, I think the pizza bouquet is the best of the bunch. If, y’know, a little messy.
“We are so excited to kick-off wedding season with the launch of the world’s first Pizza Bouquet and Boutonniere,” said Mimi Wunderlich, director of communications and digital marketing for Villa Italian Kitchen, said recently to the Orlando Sentinel. Oh, right — did I mention there’s a pizza boutonniere, too? Because there is. Continued Wunderlich, “These delicious floral accessories are perfect for pizza-loving couples looking to spice up their wedding with one-of-a-kind designs.”
According to a press release, the bouquets and boutonnieres are both crafted by New York-based food stylist Jessie Bearden — who, you might recall, also made that pizza bikini for Villa in 2017. The wedding accessories use A-plus ingredients, too: They’re “made from freshly prepared pizza dough, 100 percent whole milk mozzarella, fresh California tomatoes, and zesty pepperoni” — and for the curious, yes, they are, in fact, fully edible, according to Food and Wine. Granted, I’m not really sure how delicious they’ll be by the time you’re done with them, given that they’ll have been at room temperature for some time… but, hey, there’s a time and a place for cold pizza, too. (I usually think of that time and place being “on Saturday morning” and “standing in front of my fridge,” but maybe that’s just me.)
There are, of course, a few caveats to the giveaway: First, you have to be a legal resident of the United States who is at least 18 years old; also, the promo is only good in the 48 contiguous states, so, uh… sorry, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. And lastly, your wedding date must be set prior to Sept. 30, 2018.
If you fit all those requirements, though, all you have to do is head to a webpage Villa has set up specifically for the giveaway and enter your name, email address, wedding date, and wedding location, as well as confirm your local store. A “limited number of people” — we don’t know exactly how many, alas — will later be selected as winners. You’ll get your pick of a set of one bouquet and one boutonniere, two bouquets, or two boutonnieres. (That’s a detail I appreciate. Way to buck heteronormativity, Villa!)
But even if you don’t end up winning the main prize, there’s still a pretty solid consolation prize in store for… well, everyone: According to the giveaway page, everyone who throws their proverbial hat into the ring will get a free slice. Again, there are stipulations — the slice is granted via a coupon, which you’ll have to print out or show on your smartphone at an actual, participating Villa Italian Kitchen location; the coupon is only good for a slice of Neapolitan Cheese Pizza (sorry, pepperoni fans); you can’t use it in conjunction with any other discounts, promos, or offers; and you’ve got to use it between June 18 and June 22, 2018 — but, I mean… free pizza. What’s not to love?
Head here to enter. Good luck!
