Is anyone here having a vegan wedding??

If I attended a wedding that only had vegan options, I wouldn't complain. It's a free meal. Do you.

I agree with the posters who suggest choosing some very hearty vegan options and maybe considering some vegetarian options if you're comfortable with that. Budget extra for a top notch caterer who can provide a gourmet vegan menu and I bet most of your guests will be fine. I don't understand the expectation that a wedding *must* have meat for people to enjoy it! Like one dinner without meat and they will starve? Just like the commenter above said--you wouldn't expect a Jew or Muslim to serve pork, or an Indian to serve beef. Weddings are also a cultural event and guests should be respectful of the cultural elements chosen by the hosts. I'd love to hear what menu you end up choosing!

A menu that doesn't include pork because of religious reasons is probably being served to a room with many people of the same dietary persuasion. It's not the same thing at all.

OP is, of course, welcome to do anything they want to do. I think the consensus here is that a wedding reception is as much about the guests as it is about you. If it's not, then invite your 10 vegan friends and your parents, who would eat glass for you, and call it a day.

@Celia that is quite the assumption you're making! At our wedding, in Israel, we will have a high percentage of people who eat pork, shellfish, and generally do not keep kosher at all including both of our immediate and extended families. That doesn't make it wrong for us to have a kosher wedding which is right for us. The principle stands, think of your guests by serving a great menu, not by violating your ethical or religious beliefs.

I am nowhere near a vegan or vegetarian but i still provided meals for my vegan/vegetarian guests. If couples are so concerned with being good hosts, I don't understand why it couldn't be expected that you could serve something to the meat-eating guests at the wedding. I would feel bad if a guest at my wedding could only pick at a salad so why shouldn't a host feel bad if the only thing that I could pick at at a wedding was a salad. (which i cant stand vinegar so im assuming i couldn't eat that either). I hate most vegetables. I have a really hard time with them. I try everything but I still have a hard time with them. As a vegan you even cut out cheese. I could live with pasta alfredo at a wedding but cut out meat and cheese, I'm going to have to buy another dinner after your wedding and I don't think that's fair. If I am expected to include the price of the meal in a gift to the couple, you can at least make me feel like I am even a little bit thought about when the meals are being selected.

Thank you some for being supportive and adding your thoughtful advice. The rest of you are being flat out mean, my question was geared toward people wanting to help me, not those saying that vegan food is disgusting, or whatever. This is my wedding, and I my ethics are very important to me, if these people don't want to eat vegan food for 1 meal, they have bigger issues than I thought, like its just food get over it. But to reiterate my question. I wanted advice from people who had great food ideas, not to be bashed. Thank you all for being supportive I really appreciate it.

I think it's a bad idea not to have options for everyone else. That's like serving a meal with meat to everyone, even the vegetarians, just because I eat meat. If you do move forward with serving all of your guests a vegan meal, please specify ahead of time. If I got invited to this wedding, I'd want to know so I could eat dinner beforehand. That way if I didn't end up liking the meal, I wouldn't starve all night.

People have a really sad conception of vegan food, FH and I are pescatarian but I try to make 2/3rds of our weekly meals vegan and we almost never eat salad! I think we've had salad once in the last month...

My advice would be to find a caterer that specializes in vegan/vegetarian offerings. At least, someone who has more experience than providing vegetarian side dishes and salads.

I do think there is a misconception on this board as to what vegan food is all about... it's not all blocks of tofu. Many things can very easily be turned vegan without skimping on flavor... risotto, curries, etc. Again, a quality, specialized caterer will be able to detail this for you.

Oh hey. I didn't read all of the comments because people are being oddly hostile about meat, but I am vegan AND gluten free so I thought I should share what we did! We had a small plates/tapas style meal with lots of passed apps and snacks. ALL of my food was gluten free and the majority of it was vegan with a few meat options. Everyone loved our food and not one person thought it was odd. We didn't mention anything being gluten free or vegan and everyone was like...yay food! But we DID offer meat options. I can't remember the entire menu off the top of my head, but some things were veg tacos with a steak option, butternut squash soup shooters, potatoes bravas, maryland rockfish, chicken skewers with pesto sauce, jalapeno hushpuppies, seasoned popcorn, spiced pecans, mini strawberry pies, mexican chocolate truffles. All of our food was local, organic, and delicious.

ETA: everything that was completely vegan was totally gone. Veg tacos went way before the steak tacos and people couldn't get enough hushpuppies and mexican truffles.

I'm going to go against what I expect will be the popular opinion and say that if you want to have a vegan wedding to coincide with your beliefs and lifestyle, you should go ahead and do it. Just make sure to find a kickass vegan caterer so you will have plenty of filling delicious food. Will some people miss meat? Yes. Will people leave hungry? Only if they don't eat what you serve. The Cinnamon Snail, a vegan food truck in NYC and Red Bank, NJ consistently wins awards for its fare over other non-vegan food trucks because it's good food. Not just good vegan food. I'd encourage you to give your guests that kind of experience.

I think providing meat for typical omnivores is a different situation than providing vegetarian or vegan choices for vegetarians. If I went to a dinner party at a vegan family's house, I would not expect them to cook meat for me. However, when at least one of my dinner party guests is vegan I serve a hearty vegan dish, usually bean-based, along with my typical fare. If our dinner party consisted of FH and me and only other vegans, I would only serve vegan food and we would all happily eat it.

Disclaimer: I eat meat but was a vegetarian for about 15 years, and I have a number of food intolerances. I am used to people not accommodating my needs. Yes, dietary lifestyle choices are needs in my opinion, whether they are allergies or not.

I honestly wouldn't be upset if I went to a wedding that only served vegan food. FH, on the other hand, would be cranky and we'd be leaving early to hit up Taco Bell.

That being said, your attitude OP could use an adjustment. If "like it's just food get over it," then why can't you serve meat?

My dad was a vegan for 30 years and has attended vegan weddings and events. Provided the food is delicious and you let people know, there should be no issue with "mainstreamers." I think the food options will surprise many people. Some may even find themselves interested in it.

Not everybody needs a steak at a wedding. You may not get a lot of support on WW for making that choice, but if you do it WELL, then it can really be awesome.

If you want good vegan advice, however, a vegan forum would be a better place for advice. This is well outside the norm on weddingwire and you will get some backlash, if you haven't already (I haven't read comments yet).

Just do your research and do it well. Let people know. Good luck!

ETA: Just read comments. While you do have a responsibility to host your guests well, there is no rule that meat must be part of the menu, and I think of "vegan" as almost an adventurous theme and when done well, can introduce your guests to a whole new world. And I'm not talking about tofu or pretend meats, ok? The purists don't do fake stuff because vegetables provide more than enough nutrition.

Also...WW ladies...remember sometimes vegans are vegans for religious reasons. Not sure if that's what OP is, but please respect that and keep an open mind.

I think people on this thread are being really closed minded. I don't know anyone that requires meat at three meals per day. Here's a website that has a lot of different options: http://www.vegan-nutritionista.com/vegan-wedding-menu.html

I'm not really sure how vegan = salad. I like meat, but occasionally I'll eat vegetarian/vegan just because some of the food is really tasty. Just make sure that you have a lot of different options.

I respect that everyone has their differences as far as dietary Preferences, but also as a host you have to recognize and respect that as well. You're entertaining people and should be providing food options for everyone. I am not vegan or vegetarian, but I do have at least 4 guests coming to my wedding who are. We are providing those food options for them. I think Bethie makes a really good point and has really good advice. This would be the equivalent of forcing my vegan grandparents and vegetarian aunt and cousin to eat chicken or beef because that was the only option I had available. In my opinion it's not a good idea to ignore the food preferences of a 100s of people you are hosting because of your dietary preferences.

People who think that providing vegan/vegetarian options for omnivores is the same as not providing anything for vegans/vegetarians to eat are really fundamentally misunderstanding something. Omnivores can and do eat non-meat food all the time. Have you ever eaten a plain slice of pizza? Congratulations! You ate a vegetarian meal and survived! On the other hand, allowing your vegan/vegetarian guests to starve is rude. Nobody who eats meat cannot eat veg food. Vegans/vegetarians cannot eat meat. It's really not the same thing as not offering a veg meal to your few veg guests.

Thanks @Macy & @livelybride I think I will. I just thought there might be some helpful Veggies here. I didn't think people would get this fiery over it. My FH isn't fully vegan, but he loves vegan food, and is 100% happy about having vegan food. I have a kick@$$ caterer that has amazing food all the time, and I think that all you need. I just wanted to know what other Veggies served. I have been to dozens of wedding with no vegan/vegetarian options and like you deal with it because its not your special day its the bride and grooms. I served Vegan Tacos for my college graduation and everyone LOVED them ( If you haven't noticed I love Tacos). No one even questioned that the meal was vegan, I got so many rants and raves. So I have done my research and I have served vegan food to my guests before and they loved it. But thanks to everyone who provided kind words.

For those too lazy to click on Macy's link, here are a few vegan entrees, none of which would leave anyone feeling hungry:

Mediterranean-style Entrees:

Spicy ratatouille served over rice

Couscous stuffed portabello mushrooms

Pasta primavera with seasonal vegetables with sauteed onions or marinara sauce

Mushroom phyllo roulade with smoked-paprika creme

Tofu-squash ravioli in a cashew cream sauce

Roasted bell peppers stuffed with bulgur, herbs, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, and toasted pine-nut stuffing

Roasted vegetable lasagna with vegan ricotta, broccoli rabe with white beans, sundried tomatoes, chili, and garlic

American-style Entrees:

Rice with slivered almonds and snap peas

Southern fried mock chicken with BBQ sauce

Seitan meatloaf with mushroom gravy

Lemon-rosemary mock chicken

Mushroom ragout with pasta

Refried black beans and tomato rice with guacamole

Sweet plantains and corn tortillas with pico de gallo

Stuffed butternut squash

Peppers stuffed with rice and vegetables

Asian-style Entrees:

Seitan and veggie skewers with plum sauce

Vegetable Thai curry with steamed quinoa

Angel hair pasta with vegetables in a ginger soy sauce

Vegetable Samosas and Pakoras

Chickpea curry

Spiced spinach and potatoes with mango chutney

Pistachio-crusted tofu over horseradish potatoes and wilted spinach

Side Dishes for Weddings

Garlic Mashed potatoes

Herb roasted vegetables

Collard greens

Sauteed vegetable ragout

Vegetable skewers with garlic and rosemary

Take these ideas and mix and match to create your own special vegan wedding menu. Enjoy!

Going to go a bit off topic - are you serving alcohol? I am asking because if I only eat a vegetarian/vegan meal the booze goes straight to my head. Meat helps keep the effects to a minimum.

And since you went there, OP

Guests should be able to deal with not eating meat for ~one~ meal. That really is not being rude or asking much. It's normal and healthy. It's not at all like forcing a vegetarian/vegan to eat a steak... Grandpa Omnivore is not going to become violently ill eating a plate of roasted veggies and a lentil casserole. eyeroll.

Specialty catering for 200 people is going to be pricey either way. It sounds like some people here would feel "cheated" if they don't get a free steak.