Gluten Free

Maybe you can have a GF tasting somewhere and bring a non GF friend or family member with you so they can give you an opinion?

I agree with doing traditional, whole foods that are also gluten free versus gluten free substitutes. Meats, vegis, cheese.

I don't understand why it would have to be completely GF. A good caterer should know what it entails to accomodate dietary restrictions and not cross contaminate. I am vegetarian and there will be both veg and GF options at our wedding, but not everything will be. I agree most GF food is honestly disgusting to me, and obviously I couldn't eat a classic GF meal like a meat and potatoe. I would NOT go completely GF if I were you.

It is very easy to cook meat without flour. Serve rice instead of pasta or bread and add a veggie. It is gluten free and familiar.

@vanessa if someone on staff makes an error which is super easy to do, say with breeding on chicken of a non gf guests meal, I could be in a serious pickle and would really like to avoid that for my wedding night which is why I'm leaning towards a gluten free caterer.

@la grosera I love the idea of bringing a non gf eating guest to a tasting or 2 to see if they like it!

@rosered it's super easy to cook gf but every time I eat out I get glutened. Even using a wooden spoon that was previously used with a gluten dish can ruin a gf meal. So I would rather skip eating all together and eat snacks during the day if I choose a normal caterer.

Being a vegetarian and suffering from celiac are completely different and it's rude to even compare the two. If meat touches your vegetables you aren't going to get sick from it. If the kitchen staff accidentally uses a utensil with gluten on it the bride could end up sick.

Thanks @doggomom (love your name btw lol) some people don't understand the need to be gf for a celiac. Cross contamination is a huge concern

Just stick to foods that don't usually involve gluten. It's when people try to use substitutes that food tastes weird. I unintentionally eat gluten free pretty frequently, a lot of people do without realising, so it's definitely doable to just have a full gluten free reception

What about just picking foods that naturally don't have gluten in them? I am wheat free and we will likely be doing a meat without any breading and picking sides that don't normally have wheat. I know cross contamination is a big concern, but if you were just to have all of your choices be naturally gluten free it shouldn't be an issue.

I also have celiac and my entire wedding was gluten free and no one complained probably because no one could tell the difference. For dinner we had steak, chicken and ahi. For sides we had plenty of veggies and potatoes. Instead of cake I opted for a French macaroon tower, which is naturally gluten free. I even had a full open bar but requested they serve hard cider instead of beer.

Edit. I also had a stuffed portobello mushroom as a vegetarian option

@jessica that sounds amazing! I was thinking like meat and potatoe options and then having some sort of pasta as a gf vegetarian option. A macaroon tower should absolutely amazing tho!We have this local bakery that's gluten free and you can't even tell the difference between her cake and normal cake so we're doing that.

@goingtobegoodin That sounds perfect! I would definitely suggest staying entirely gluten free. The last thing you would want is to get cross contaminated on your wedding day!

@jessica I'm thinking ordering "normal" meals from all gf caterer. So no risk of cross contamination and no need for everyone else to be weirded out by the gf food! I'll talk to a few gf caterers tho and see what normal options they can provide!

I'm also gluten-free (but not celiac) and have several family members whose gluten allergy is more severe than mine. I found a great caterer who is experienced with handling food allergies and gave me the option of either a fully GF menu or separate meals to accommodate guests and I who are GF. She said many of her regular sauces/dressings are already GF so I'm less concerned about the food tasting different, because she seems to have a good sense of how to cook with GF ingredients in a way that doesn't taste weird.

Whatever you decide, I recommend asking LOTS of questions when you interview potential caterers about all of their kitchen practices to make sure you feel comfortable with whatever you choose.

I think if you can have a "normal" meal and be GF sure!! i think you shouldn't risk your health and how you feel for your guests. Yes you're hosting them but if hosting them with certain foods make you sick, i think you should be able to hire a GF caterer

@Doggomom How on earth is that rude? Personally I think it is incredibly rude that people do not take the dietery restrictions of vegetarians seriously because it is not considered an allergy. When you have been a vegetarian as long I have been, you do get sick from being served food with meat/meat products hidden within them. So yes, it is comparable. If you express your concerns and the severity, your caterer is assuming responsibility to not essentially poison your guests/you. If this is a reputable caterer this should not be an issue and could even be a part of your contract. I know this because FMIL and several other guests have celiac and we confirmed this all with our reputable caterer.

I agree that the stuffed portobella is a much better option for vegetarians. GF pasta is awful in my honest opinion.

@Vanessa, a good chef/caterer would be able to cook a completely GF meal and no one would even know. My daughter is GF because of tons of food allergies, and no one even knows the meals are GF. I can guarantee you that you have had shitty pasta, but if they use a good GF one, no one will know.

OP, go completely gluten free if the caterer can make it and it tastes good. No one needs to know, and you will still be safe and able to eat at YOUR wedding. It is ridiculous that you cannot have the kind of food you can eat at your own damn wedding.

ETA: We had cupcakes at our wedding and 2 dozen of them were Vegan/GF, and they were the first ones eaten because they had even more flavor than the other 7 dozen regular ones. My daughter had to set a few aside because they were getting eaten so quickly. (also spelling)

Talk to the caterer sometimes they can even make a separate meal for you alone