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Matt Lund has fond memories as a kid eating pizza for birthday parties at Peter Piper Pizza while growing up in Glendale.
So that's where he and his new wife, Tori, ended up for their wedding reception.
That’s right, the bride and the groom dined at a Peter Piper Pizza on Bell Road in Phoenix.
That the pair ending up eating at the pizza establishment wasn’t all by chance. The couple mailed out wedding invitations to several companies that included Chick-fil-A, Peter Piper Pizza and Tito’s Handmade Vodka, said Tori, 25.
In all, the couple mailed out about 20 invitations to companies and at least one celebrity in hopes of getting some kind of a response.
The Phoenix residents didn’t come out empty-handed.
About two weeks after the mailings, the couple got word Peter Piper Pizza agreed to gift the newlyweds $1,000 to cover the cost of food and games for about 35 guests.
The idea came from an apparent TikTok trend where users solicited companies in hopes of getting some kind of perk for their efforts, Tori said.
The couple thought they might have a better chance at getting a response from Peter Piper since the corporate headquarters had an Arizona address, Tori said.
Peter Piper was founded in Glendale in 1973. There are now more than 100 locations.
The couple wanted to have a reception where more of their friends and family could attend. The pair were married at California’s Disneyland in May.
The pizza place didn’t disappoint and did its part to make the couple feel special, Tori said.
Half the restaurant was sectioned off for the wedding party while guests enjoyed dessert and heart-shaped pizza at the event. Everyone at the reception got a partially loaded game card to play with family and friends at the gathering.
A photo booth was also on hand to make sure the memories of the event was well-documented.
The couple said they are grateful for the memorable experience.
“We weren’t expecting anything this grand,” Tori said. “It was above and beyond what we expected.”
Brent Ruffner Lead News Reporter | Daily Independent @AzNewsmedia
Journalism has fascinated Brent Ruffner since junior high school.
Since 2001, his stories have been published in newspapers from the Albuquerque to the Arizona and he has always had a knack for making sure his facts are right and his words are to the point.
Growing up, Brent watched as sports reporters covered his beloved Phoenix Suns, a team he followed since Charles Barkley first arrived in Phoenix via trade in 1992. Sports reporting was a dream back then.
But after gaining some writing experience, Brent found a love for news instead of covering different types of sports. In 2008, he moved to New Mexico and covered crime, schools and city beats all while holding elected officials accountable.
He covered stories that ranged from a DEA drug bust gone bad to an award-winning story on school lunches.
In Arizona, Brent was a freelance writer who covered everything from the importance of citrus in the state to Esteban owning a store in downtown Prescott.
Brent is a 2007 graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
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