Married by Mayonnaise? We propose vow renewals by tea!

 

Forty-second wedding anniversary: tractor. Could teapot officiated vow renewal be far behind?

A recent Wall Street Journal article detailing a wedding officiated by Manny Mayo—the Hellmann’s mayonnaise mascot—in an outlandish ceremony promoting the Unilever condiment, not only failed to offend us, but actually inspired ideas for our own future vow renewal.

As reported in this month’s WSJ piece, “A Giant Tub of Mayonnaise Married My Friends,” Unilever launched a contest inviting “chicken tender-loving couples” to get married in a dipping sauce commercial.

The winning couple would receive a stipend, a Las Vegas wedding, and a “lifetime of tender-loving happiness.”

Thirty-seven couples applied. The winners, Heather Schroering and Nick Phillips—Brooklyn residents originally from Kentucky (home of KFC)—explained that “chicken might as well be in the state’s constitution.”

Manny officiated the wedding ceremony of two brought together by their disdain of dry sandwiches. 

©Hellmans

Their application video highlighted their shared disdain for dry sandwiches and featured an onion ring being slipped onto a chicken finger, showcasing their mutual love of the absurd—and each other.

Guests were given just two weeks’ notice, yet Heather and Nick quickly gathered 60 RSVPs. The sponsor’s guidelines called for a 30-minute ceremony followed by a “dry” reception (presumably referring to alcohol, not sandwiches). The dress code discouraged wild hues, instead favoring the Hellmann’s color palette. For clarity, Unilever’s reference guide suggested “Kate Middleton on vacation.”

Helpful, indeed. How else would one know how to dress for a wedding officiated by a giant bottle of mayonnaise?

It wasn't all about looks, though, there's a lot of sentiment, too. Manny Mayo offered these profound words: “Like chicken tender dip and chicken tenders, marriage is a beautiful union of two special flavors that just work together.”

It brought tears to many—though whether from laughter or emotion was hard to tell.

As wild as the event was, it was a "blue light special" compared to the average wedding cost. In 2025, estimates hover around $36,000, with nearly 30% of couples footing the entire bill.

Heather and Nick celebrated not only their union, but their financial savvy.

Of course, this isn’t to everyone’s “taste”—literally or figuratively. Some may not wish to immortalize their big day with a condiment mascot in every photo or a menu dominated by tiered trays of chicken tenders.

But we’re not entirely turned off by the idea. In fact, it got us (read, me) thinking about how to renew our vows next year. My husband Chris and I have themed our last three anniversaries: 40th (ruby), 41st (podcast), 42nd (tractor). Could the 43rd be overseen by a giant teapot declaring, “Marriage is like a cup of Earl Grey, a perfect blend of tea with a hint of citrusy bergamot."

We’ll need to workshop that.

Still, if any tea brands are looking for a couple to star in a vow renewal-slash-commercial, we’re available.

Dress code: Kate Middleton in shock.