Yes, Someone Actually Got Married a Can of Hard Mtn Dew

Mike Pomranz
·3 min read
2
Thomas Rank kisses a can of Hard Mtn Dew in front of the Welcome to Las Vegas sign
Thomas Rank kisses a can of Hard Mtn Dew in front of the Welcome to Las Vegas sign

Eric Jamison/AP Images for HARD MTN DEW

Back in August, Hard Mtn Dew — the 5-percent ABV spin on the PepsiCo-owned soda brand produced by the Boston Beer Company (the people behind Sam Adams and Truly) — announced that one lucky fan would have the opportunity to marry a can of Hard Mtn Dew in Las Vegas.

Ridiculous? Yes. Legally-binding? Even in Nevada, no. A contest worth entering to get a free trip to Vegas on Hard Mtn Dew's dime? Well, now that it's happened, it sure seems like it.

On October 5, Indiana resident Thomas Rank strutted into the Little Vegas Chapel in Las Vegas, urging a small group of attendees to make some noise with a massive smile on his face. Standing at the altar and donning a wedding ring fashioned in part from a can's pull-tab, he proclaimed from written notes, "I, Thomas, take you, Hard Mtn Dew, to be your companion in times of bounty or in times of need, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poor. I give you my heart, and I am complete because I have you, Hard Mtn Dew."

Thoms Rank and a can of Hard Mtn Dew pose in front of the wedding officiant
Thoms Rank and a can of Hard Mtn Dew pose in front of the wedding officiant

Eric Jamison/AP Images for HARD MTN DEW

The officiant responded, "So by  the power given to me here by the Little Vegas Chapel, you have officially said, 'Hard Dew, I do,' and I now pronounce you fan and can. You may sip the can." Rank sipped from a tall boy of original flavor Hard Mtn Dew as cheers came from the audience. And that was it: a wedding — of sorts — had taken place.

For all of this hard work, Hard Mtn Dew said that Rank received a two-night, three-day stay in a Vegas suite along with a reception at a Las Vegas club and $1,000 spending cash.

"I married a can of Hard Mtn Dew because I listened to the radio and heard about the contest, and I realized it had to be me. It sounded like a lot of fun," Rank said in a post-wedding interview. "My life has changed completely. I can say I am the first person ever to marry a can of Hard Mtn Dew, a can in general, and it's been a big step not only for myself, but all of mankind as well."

Thomas Rank poses with a ring in front of a Las Vegas wedding chapel
Thomas Rank poses with a ring in front of a Las Vegas wedding chapel

Eric Jamison/AP Images for HARD MTN DEW

After the wedding, Rank and the can posed near the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign for a photo op, and he began to plan their future. "What's next for me and the can is that I am going to sip it at every enjoyable moment in my life," he said. He also addressed his mom, who was not in attendance. "Mom, I married a can. I know that's not what you were expecting. You thought my older brother would get married first."

But is there already strife brewing so soon after matrimony? Asked his favorite flavor, Rank said that it "would probably be the cherry, but at the same time I married the original flavor." However, he later added, "Love has no labels."