Wedding guests and their dietary needs

We don't have any vegetarians in our families, but we took it into consideration in case any plus ones don't eat meat. It will be a BBQ buffet, so we upgraded the mac & cheese from a side to a serviced station where they can do veggie mix-ins and make it an entree. Some of the sides are also veggie friendly, and quite a few of the options are naturally gluten free. I suppose if anyone ends up bringing a vegan we could talk to the caterer about ordering an individual meal. We have listed the fact that it will be BBQ (aka meat) on our website and by word of mouth, that way people will have time to speak up if they think there will be an issue or have any questions.

Definitely ask ... for instance, in the last year, my mom has developed a serious intolerance to soy so I had to make sure to request that the cake baker not include soy in the ingredients since some form of soy is in every. freaking. thing. now.

It's pretty important to me - my stepmom is vegan, and one of my housemates and some friends are gluten/dairy /etc free, so I tried to make sure our menu covered a good range of that. The appetizers aren't really dairy free, unfortunately, but we'll have a few things that different diets and restrictions allow. Some people will have to limit themselves a bit, but I tried hard to make sure they'd have a decent meal.

I think having vegetarian options is very important for just about all weddings and large group entertaining situations, and having various free-from options is dependent on your crowd. When you're speaking to your caterer next week you can ask them what they usually do and recommend for these guests - do they make up special plates for those with allergies/intolerances/restrictions despite it being a buffet, or do the dietary restrictions of your guests change what buffet options you offer (ie making sure your chicken option uses only GF seasonings). And though it is a buffet rather than plated so guests won't be returning meal choice cards to you, it will be important to let your guests know that they should inform you of any special needs or restrictions so those can be accommodated (and ask your caterer by when they need that information).

Have fun at your tasting!

I ask on the RSPV about allergies- so far we have 3 shellfish (me included), 1 dairy allergy, 3 or 4 gluten free and 1 vegan. We are doing a plated diner, and the venue will have alternatives for those people.

It's important to have options, even if you don't know exactly how many guests might be vegetarian/vegan/gluten free. We're having a buffet with a chicken entree, a vegetarian entree, and a pasta as well as sides that would be acceptable for all of the above.

I did ask the caterer to provide 2 specially plated meals for my dad and stepmother who have a really restrictive diet due to his health, but no one else flagged any dietary issues to me and I know the group pretty well so I think we'll be fine with our selections!

It depends on how well you know your guests. I would say to have a vegetarian option or at least enough food that a vegetarian would fill up. I do not think gluten free is necessary unless you several people have a gluten intolerance.

For my wedding I have 3 different entrees one to include a vegetarian meal. I've learned that you cannot please everyone. Keep it simple or it will cost you a lot more. You may definitely want to stick to foods that does not include the common peanut allergens, shellfish etc

All you need to do is make sure your caterer can atleast provide those type of meals. Someone will make it known if they need a gluten free meal, etc. I would taste the vegetarian dish since thats more common but just make sure the caterer can provide those dishes if requested.

We put a line on our RSVP card asking for dietary allergies or restrictions. Our caterer was able to give us special plates that were gluten free, diabetic friendly, and shellfish free since we had only one or two of each issue. It also was nice to know we didn't have any vegetarians (we knew no one in the family was vegetarian, but some brought +1s we didn't know).

It's very important for making people feel like they are welcomed and valued. I plan a lot of events at work and there's every allergy/dietary restriction under the sun to keep in mind. It does lead to more work to provide something for everyone, but in the end you don't want someone leaving early to go and get food if you can help it.

When it comes to buffets, even if you pick options with dietary restrictions in mind, it's VERY easy to cross-contaminate dishes if people are serving themselves, so if it's feasible, I would let people with dietary restrictions serve themselves first so they can enjoy the dishes specifically picked for them. Other people will enjoy them too, but it would suck if the food ran out before they got to eat it and there was nothing else they could eat.

Buffet weddings are SUPER popular in my area, so as someone with an allergy I always appreciate it when I can write it in, but my options are always super limited (my friends wedding, the caterer made me pasta with olive oil, she was so mad when she found out) so I always eat something large before a wedding and then if I can have something, fantastic! If not, I haven't put myself at risk.

I agree with know your crowd, we double checked with his mom regarding some of his family that's invited, it doesn't appear that we have any vegetarians/vegans on our guest list, so we picked 2 meat entrees, but I'll include a place on my RSVP card for dietary restrictions and you can better your bottom someone writes veg/vegan they're getting a meal from my caterer.

You definitely need a vegetarian option, and you should ask about other dietary restrictions for your guests! Guests are also likely to speak up and ask about things like gluten-free options.

Talk to your caterer as well! We were limited to choosing 3 entrees for a plated meal, but the caterer didn't "count" vegetarian as one of those options. Caterers are used to having to make a few special meals for dietary restrictions, and should easily be able to work with you and your guests!

Having at least a veggie option is a great idea!

Very important! I am vegetarian and I have been to many a wedding where they literally had nothing I could eat (even the salad had bacon on it, premixed). I've been vegetarian for 14 years since I was about 13 and I am technically now allergic to meat and have a terrible reaction to meat contaminated food. If you cannot feed me I leave the wedding, with the money I was going to give you, to get some dinner.

That being said ask for dietary restrictions on your RSVPs so you know for sure!

We don't have a specific vegetarian option as we know we don't have a lot of vegetarians coming to the wedding, however, our venue told us that they will accommodate dietary needs. So when we give final numbers we will inform them of any special orders due to dietary needs.

If you know 100% nobody is GF I wouldn't worry about it. Having a hearty vegetarian entree will be appreciated on the buffet. I would mention on your wedding website if there are any food allergies please let the us know.

Definitely always include a veg option! As far as gluten free goes, I wouldn't bother with it. I'm on the FODMAP for medical reasons but I don't expect anyone to cater to me lol

I have 1 daughter who is a vegan, 1 who is a vegetarian, and 1 who is allergic to gluten, corn, soy, sesame, and peanuts, so we are doing plated. Probably only the people who are extremely close to us know this about them, so having these options or at least asking on the RSVP cards is great IMO.

@QueSeraSera are my kids coming to your wedding?

You will need to make sure that whoever is serving food (waitstaff) is aware that serve-ware is only to be used in its specified dish to avoid cross contamination if it could be a problem for people with allergies, such as serving a dish with gluten with a spoon then using it in something gluten free