Vegetarian wedding ? help!

Woah woah woah woah. no. you absolutely do not need to sacrifce your morals to make everyone feel comfortable. if your guest are offended that there are no dead animals for them to gourge on, they need help. its not the same thing as not having a vegetarian option at your wedding. these are your morals. when someone has a vegetarian option at their meaty weeding, you are not asking them to go against their beliefs, asking you to pay for their meat is doing this to you and that is not acceptable. kosher and free range meat might be okay with some people, but if it feels wrong for you, don't compromise that please.

Ok, so if you're a vegetarian, then I think it's fine. Just like recovering alcoholics don't need to serve alcohol. That's just my opinion though. If the majority of your guests are meat eaters, it would be wise to have a meat option. I'm actually in the meat industry, and have raised my own steer for years, but if I went to a veggie wedding, I would be fine with it and completely understand.

View Quoted Comment It is wild to me that so many people say you should serve meat “because it is polite to guests”. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. It is YOUR wedding! It is about celebrating you two. If people are so offended that there is no meat option then they are welcome to not come. And I love how people are keep saying “as long as it’s cooked well and is filing”. As if you’re guaranteed to have either of those with a meat dish. I’m pretty sure everyone will live not eating meal for one meal (Becky they’ll probably even live longer because they just got more servings of vegetables. You’re welcome.)

View Quoted Comment Gosh people really don’t understand nutrition. There is protein in vegetables, for the record. And more often than not, vegetarian meals are more nutrient dense and lower in sugar than non. Finally, if someone truly is diabetic, I’m pretty sure they know how to manage their blood sugar in different eating scenarios (like day if they have cake, which will have more sugar than the entire meal). It doesn’t sound like you don’t actually know anything about diabetes.

The reception is for your guests. The ceremony is for you and your fiance. If you know your guests would not like something, don't have it. Yes people can go a meal without meat but whatever you decide is a reflection on whether you are gracious hosts or not.


Granted, you can still do a fully vegetarian reception but make sure it is super tasty such as Indian cuisine for example that will please the majority.

For future lurkers on this thread, I think it's worth considering that some people eat diets like keto (very meat heavy) to control conditions like epilepsy or digestive conditions. I know someone who controls ulcerative colitis with an all-meat diet. So I don't think you need to violate your conscience and serve meat, but I do think it needs to be crystal clear to each and every guest that there won't be meat so people can either eat before or not attend.

View Quoted Comment Excellent points. That's why dietary restrictions need to be accommodated on both ends of the spectrum. It's part of being a gracious host.

View Quoted Comment The entire wedding, including the reception, is for the couple. Anyone who goes to a wedding expecting to be catered to and not to celebrate the couple probably shouldn’t be there in the first place. The couple should be represented in everything throughout the wedding, including the dinner they choose to serve. (Also, pretty much every condition is improved by a plant-based diet. I have never once heard of meat controlling any condition and I have a doctorate in nutrition and am a family PCP sooo, that doesn’t really justify making meat available either).

View Quoted Comment If the reception is for the couple only, don't invite guests.
The reception is the first party you are hosting as a married couple. It's simply on a larger scale than a dinner party in your home. If you invited guests to your home you wouldn't fix something you knew they couldn't eat for whatever reason (religious, personal beliefs, health, etc) and say 'too bad' when they aren't able to participate because you're under the idea it's your house, your rules. They would see that as rude because it is. A wedding is no different.
Either be gracious hosts and accommodate guests or elope with no guests and pray everyone you meet going forward eats the exact same foods as you all the time.

View Quoted Comment I guess it’s convenient that everyone can eat vegetables, isn’t it then. And it’s great that for most couples (maybe not yourself) the guests come because they love the individuals getting married and not for the dinner. Finally, a wedding can hardly be compared to a “dinner party you host at your home”. Lastly, I think most people who expect the couple to have a wedding that aligns with their beliefs. Glad we could clear all that up.

This is like not serving liquor: It is perfectly fine not to have meat, or alcohol, or any particular thing whether entertaining in your home or at a venue. As long as you provide a full, healthy meal, that is fine. Anyone who gives you flak about it is being rude. Guests are expected to choose what they want and are able to eat. But wish fulfilment, having whatever they individually want, is not necessary for a host.

View Quoted Comment What you are saying is the exact opposite of traditional etiquette. ( since this is an etiquette board.)

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I specifically said that I don't think they should have to serve meat, just that you inform people that you won't have meat there. You are also wrong that there are no conditions made better by a Keto diet. Here is one of many sources that cite studies showing that a diet that is more meat-heavy than plant-heavy can help control epilepsy (I also personally know people who use it at their doctor's advice): https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/treating-seizures-and-epilepsy/dietary-therapies/ketogenic-diet. I also know someone who has completely controlled really out-of-control UC with a meat-only diet, after being on several drugs that didn't help. His doctors dismissed using diet to control UC, but the medications made him violently ill, so he found diets on the internet and got himself into remission. It concerns me that you, as a GP, are so dismissive of this.

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Okay, now I'm just angry, but I also have to add that I have pretty severe acid reflux that is hard to control even with medication and am nearly always in pain after I eat. I have tried SO MANY DIETS, most recommended by my doctor. None have truly worked for me, but the plant-based diet was NOT it. The most successful was a fish, egg, avocado, and seaweed diet (which, obviously, was not sustainable). It really upsets me when people act like their degree is more valid than a patient's lived experience, and I think it's a huge problem in the medical profession.

People have dry weddings all the time for religious and personal reasons. Do what you and your partner are comfortable with, just don't leave anyone hungry... and hopefully it's delicious too.