Do you have to offer a vegetarian option?

I have a few vegetarian guests, and we're not doing real vegetarian options. They are making two dishes for a GM & BM that are vegetarians, but other than that the crazies- AHEM! I mean non-meat eaters can eat just a lot of sides!

Yes.

If you don't have vegetarians, I think I would skip that option. We have 1 person who doesn't eat meat very often, and we have quite a few kids who will be there, so (as of now) we're offering a meatless option. FH's family are huge meat eaters.

If you're sure you don't have any vegetarians, I don't see why.

Since you are making the food yourself, I think you should definitely have a vegetarian option.

I would say yes! But I'm a vegan you may have some vegetarians you don't know about. A side dish that could be made into a meal for someone would do the job.

If there's any vegetarians at our wedding they are screwed. FH doesn't eat veggies. I'm not kidding after four years of trying everything to trick him I have accepted it the man is 33 and has never liked them. Ill allow this non sense as long as he takes his vitamins and the doctor continues to tell us he's healthy.anyways we hired a BBQ place for our wedding so Pulled pork sliders, BBQ chicken and ribs with corn bread and potatoes salad. I suppose they can fill up on potato salad and corn bread but if they do they are nuts cuz our caterer is bomb dot com

You can always ask on the RSVP if anyone has any special dietary concerns, and then make a dish according to that many people of that size.

Yes even if someone isn't a vegetarian people go through phases and my limit certain types of foods it's nice to have options.

I'm a vegetarian, so slightly biased. I would offer a veggie option. Here's a great reason: veggie meals are cheaper than meat dishes on the whole!

I would, if only for the reason that the food you are providing will reflect flavor and uniqueness. There are far more tasty vegetarian dishes in the world than meat-based ones, and even though I am not vegetarian (I eat chicken & fish & vegetarian fare, just not red meat), I will offer some vegetarian dishes simply because they can be so yummy.

PS: as you are doing the catering, think of dishes in regards to their taste and "yum" factor, rather than meat vs vegetarian. Meat is simply an ingredient, and most people find to their surprise that something without meat is very nice!

Since you are making the food yourself try and make a side dish that can easily turn into a main meal for someone who may be a surprise vegetarian. Perhaps pasta would be a good option. Make sure it's something easy on yourself! You don't want to make yourself more stressed out! Good luck!

I would or at least offer several vegetarian sides that could make a meal in a pinch

I'm no longer a vegetarian, but I tend to prefer vegetarian options over meat (and I still don't eat red meat or pork). So I'm also biased

I know some very finicky eaters like me that only eat certain kinds of meat and you might have a couple of vegetarian guests that you don't know about. I would make a simple pasta dish just in case. And I would limit meat (ie bacon crumbles, etc) in any of your planned side dishes like salads or veggies.

I think that when someone hosts an event, they are under no obligation to cater to everyone's dietary restrictions.

It is going above and beyond if you want to try and please everyone. I feel people would certainly appreciate it. You're under no obligation to do it though.

If it makes you feel good, then I would do it. Anyone with dietary restrictions (by choice or necessity) knows they may have to bring their own food or plan to eat at another time. I was a vegetarian for 7 years, so while I have sympathy for people with dietary restrictions, I would never expect a host to cater to my needs, especially when feeding a large amount of people.

@Abby, I've never attended a wedding or large gathering where a vegetarian option wasn't offered. I think hosts should try to please the majority of their guests, without going crazy of course. I agree you certainly can't cater to every dietary restriction. Luckily at our wedding (buffet), our venue offered plated vegetarian meals and one vegan gluten-free meal at no extra cost. Otherwise I would have selected a vegetarian main dish option (but most likely not a vegan gluten-free option) for the buffet.

For me, my reception is all about my guests. I actually have 4 options, beef, chicken, fish and veggie. I have no vegetarians,or so I thought. 2 people chose it. Fine by me, its not costing me extra and I just want everyone to enjoy the food, it so frigging good. But yea I put it as an option because its the right thing to do in my eyes.

What about a pasta salad? Very simple, everyone likes it & a vegetarian could definitely just take a larger portion as their meal.

I'm vegan and have learned to always eat before I go to events like weddings bc you never know. Someone's opinion of a vegetarian option may be a piece of lettuce and even vegetarian "sides" will usually not work for me. It is inconvenient and a little inconsiderate to not offer a vegetarian option when you KNOW there will be vegetarians.

Even if you don't know of any vegetarians attending, I think it would be nice if you offered a vegetarian option. Some people will prefer that even if they are not vegetarian and there may be others who you just did not know were vegetarian. You don't HAVE TO, but it's good to have variety

P.S. Maggie, yes I'm probably a little crazy...but it has nothing to do with the fact that I don't eat animals

Well, I'd recommend it for just in case. You never know what allergies someone might have to certain meats or spices. At least another option might help. Also, I didn't realize a friend of mine was vegetarian for the longest time. I just never noticed that she always ate veggies only when we went out and ate. She brought it up, and I was like holy crap how did I miss this. The food she ate looked good, so I didn't ever think vegetarian. So, you might get one of those.