Good Vegetarian Caterers in the DC Area?

I don't know any good caterers in D.C. You can check http://www.vegdc.com/catering.php and go do some taste testing though. That will be fun!

However in my opinion, since you will have guests of all types, I think you should offer a chicken or fish option for the different meals. You are inviting people to celebrate with you and you want them to have the most comfortable and enjoyable experience. So your vegetarian entrees do not have to be an after thought at all. You can get a great caterer that will make them great. However, there will be guests that are turned off by this so, I think you should have a meat option that they can choose from.

Having been a caterer for many years, I'll tell you what I always told my couples. You can certainly do a menu that it primarily what you love; pastas, cheese/fruit/bruscetta, grilled veggies. But do add some chicken or fish. You might not want a giant poached salmon with a head, but some chicken cutlets and a fish skewer or two will go over very, very well. You might even consider some Indian food, which is largely vegetarian.

We also had one of our vegan menus on About.com for years as an example of what could be done, but it would not be my choice to serve a diverse group of guests.

I'm veg and the soon-to-be-hubby is Indian but not veg. We started wedding planning thinking his family from India would be able to attend, so we were leaning towards mostly Indian food and mostly veg with a fusion approach for non-Indian stuff.

We evolved our menu approach as their visas got denied and we needed to balance the catering with the palates of our guests, so we ended up going with the second caterer I've listed below combined with an Indian restaurant's food.

A few options for you:

Spilled Milk Catering (three guys; 1 or 2 of them are Indian so they were able to do Indian and other international food like we wanted, but they were not willing to decorate the reception area/tables)

Simply Elegant Catering (out of Grey Rock Mansion near Baltimore; they cater off-site and have a lot to choose from)

Caribbean Catering (my friend's mom owns this and we had her food at a party; she's also open to bringing in a particular background of food like our fave Indian restaurant)

I'm going to second what Celia/YardieGirl/Cricket Catering said. I certainly get your principles for being veg, but I think it's important to let guests know ahead of time and if you're comfortable, have some non-veg options. We put several non-veg apps in the cocktail hour and 2 meat options in our entrees/buffet. It's tricky to have well-prepared, flavorful vegetarian fare that is not just like a combination of side dishes.

I told people and explained on the main page of our wedding website that the food at the wedding would echo our love of Indian food, but that we had ensured there would be stuff all guests would be comfortable with. I also thought about my relatives in their 90s who have issues with spicy and adventurous food. Lots of meat eaters don't feel satiated eating a dinner with no protein, so it's something to consider. If you want specific dish ideas, PM me -- I know much more about food than I do about weddings!

Thanks for the ideas! It will be an exclusively vegetarian wedding (dairy, but no fish), but I'll make sure to let guests know ahead of time. I'll definitely look into Cricket and Simply Elegant. Very helpful!

Try Green Plate Catering.

Other options that aren't exclusively veggie, but have good greative options, include Ridgewells, Festive Foods, Savory Spoon, Granville Farms.

Don't worry too much about what people are going to think- I somehwat disagree with others who say you need to tell people ahead of time (unless there are allergies to consider, but that's typical to check on those anyway). It's just one meal and it's your day! A vegetarian dinner done well can be very filling and satisfying, not to mention delicious. Good luck!

I whole heartedly disagree. Not eating meat is an ethical choice. When you purchase meat, you are voting for murder and cruelty. Im sorry but i cannot.

My wedding in 2018 was catered by D.C. Vegan Catering. I had all vegan food and even my dad, a conservative, retired U.S. Marine didn't leave his plate empty. We chose the most accessible flavors and textures so the meat wouldn't be missed. I soon started working for them and still do now!