What do you think of a vegetarian wedding?

I am a vegetarian and my DH is a big meat eater. I wanted to have no veal at my wedding, but DH loves veal, I know it makes me sick!!!

But my point being, I had one good vegetarian dish, because I was not happy with having a stuffed tomato and grilled vegetables. So I had them make one vegetarian meal that I loved, and I knew the 3 other vegetarians would eat.

I would love to go to a vegetarian wedding, but my DH would hate it, he is not adventurous at all, but would eat the eggplant.

I personally think you should do either 1/2 and 1/2 or just offer one meat dish, like other have offered one vegetarian dish.

I am so sick of eating steam vegetables at weddings!

I for one would like to experience a wedding that isnt the typical beef/chicken/fish meal. I would not how ever enjoy a slice of tofu wrapped with bean sprouts!! I think people think that is what vegitarians eat...that along with steamed veggies!!

I bet there are soooooooooooo many veggie recipes out there, that people wouldnt even miss the meat!

Good Luck to you Mary!

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Posted by september2004

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Posted by Sonicstef

If the bride and grooms are vegetarians, it makes perfect sense to have a vegetarian reception.

I would just stress that the food be normal food that both vegetarians and meat eaters are used to eating. Things like starches and fruit and veggies.

I think if someone told me the menu was going to be all vegetarian, that might scare me a bit into think its going to be all bean sprouts and soy...but that doesnt have to be the case.

So my suggestion would be to go to an excellent caterer who does all kinds of food and just have them create a vegetarian menu...rather than going with a vegetarian caterer who really emphasiszes that aspect. Does that make sense?

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totally agree!

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i agree also

Hmmm... I'm amazed this brought out so much controversy... here's my two cents - FH and I are vegetarians... we did it together for moral reasons... because we do it for moral reasons, we don't see how it makes any sense to support the very thing that disturbs us so much by serving it... we hosted our engagement party and didn't serve any meat... we don't serve any meat with guests (mind you though, FH is an AMAZING cook)... we thought about having the veggie wedding, but unfortunately, we aren't paying, so it really wasn't up to us... but, IF we were paying, there is no way in hell I would put a penny of my income to pay for something that I feel so strongly against... and yes, for us, it IS like a religion... in fact, we believe more strongly in not eating meat than we do in our own religion...

And, I disagree.. the wedding is not about the food... it shouldn't be about pleasing your guests... it's a celebration of a unique couple and should, in every way, reflect and celebrate that uniqueness...

FYI... matron had an all vegetarian cocktail hour, and it was the best cocktail hour I've ever been too... and that was BEFORE I was a vegetarian!

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Posted by fashionhag...



Kiwijowonze...
I don't think you get the point. No one here is saying that Marymoon must have beef, pork, chicken or anything. What I think many of us are saying is that she should have a a meat option, if only one. I suggested chicken and fish.

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Fashionhag....
I think I do get it, if you refer to my earlier post, I said the exact same thing as you suggested above...

I think what's confusing me the most about this thread is that it seems that not everyone is aware of what array of meatless dishes exist...it does not mean a plate of potatoes and green beans.

That said, I think we've certainly given Marymoon food for thought here (sorry bad pun, couldn't help it!) A wedding reception does not have to be beef, chicken and fish if one doesn't want it to be, and if one chooses to have a lot of non meat entress, people do not have to go home hungry b/c all that was served was 'rabbit food'...rabbit food is not what eating vegetarian is all about.

But like I posted before, it might be a good idea for marymoon to consider serving a meaty fish like tuna or a simple chicken dish as a safety option, so that the creative meatless options can still take center stage, but everyone at the wedding will be able to find someting to eat.

I wanted to say that one thing I learned is the wedding for the guests not really the bride and groom. We get the ceremony lol.

If you are vegetatrian stick to you beleifs but be prepared to deal with unhappy guests if they came for the food as most people do. HOWEVER true friends and family would not let this spoil your day

OK __ I obviously have to post here because I had a vegetarian cocktail hour and only one chicken dish offered at my wedding ... the other meals were vegetarian and DELICIOUS! My DH and I BASED our wedding hall vendor on how accomodating the staff would be to meet our needs. We initally were going to have an all veggie wedding but my MIL paid money to have her chicken served (against our will) but whatever...

All I can say is that EVERY SINGLE PERSON that attended my wedding (without exaggeration) commented on how amazing the food was, ESPECIALLY the cocktail hour which was ENTIRELY VEGETARIAN! Not ONE person noticed that there was no meat bc it was so delicious. To this day (2 years later), people always say, 'nobody's wedding had better food than yours...'

A wedding should reflect who you and your fh are. If you are vegetarians (or one of you is), you should most CERTAINLY have an all veggie wedding --- ESPECIALLY if you are doing it for ethical reasons.

Save a few more animals ..... HAVE A VEGGIE WEDDING! I fully support you and the animals thank you!

Just as a sidenote, make sure your hall will serves lots of yummy veggie stuff. Some of the places we visited (like mentioned before) were adimant about us serving meat to please our guests and offer a veggie dish that was overcooked carrots and squash. (YACK!) My hall -- Vineyard Caterers -- was even willing to take my favorite recipes! That place rocks.

Good luck with whatever you decide and try to ignore the narrowmindedness on this board.

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Posted by matron

OK __ I obviously have to post here because I had a vegetarian cocktail hour and only one chicken dish offered at my wedding ... the other meals were vegetarian and DELICIOUS! My DH and I BASED our wedding hall vendor on how accomodating the staff would be to meet our needs. We initally were going to have an all veggie wedding but my MIL paid money to have her chicken served (against our will) but whatever...

All I can say is that EVERY SINGLE PERSON that attended my wedding (without exaggeration) commented on how amazing the food was, ESPECIALLY the cocktail hour which was ENTIRELY VEGETARIAN! Not ONE person noticed that there was no meat bc it was so delicious. To this day (2 years later), people always say, 'nobody's wedding had better food than yours...'

A wedding should reflect who you and your fh are. If you are vegetarians (or one of you is), you should most CERTAINLY have an all veggie wedding --- ESPECIALLY if you are doing it for ethical reasons.

Save a few more animals ..... HAVE A VEGGIE WEDDING! I fully support you and the animals thank you!

Just as a sidenote, make sure your hall will serves lots of yummy veggie stuff. Some of the places we visited (like mentioned before) were adimant about us serving meat to please our guests and offer a veggie dish that was overcooked carrots and squash. (YACK!) My hall -- Vineyard Caterers -- was even willing to take my favorite recipes! That place rocks.

Good luck with whatever you decide and try to ignore the narrowmindedness on this board.

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I speak from experience... her food was absolutely the BEST I've ever had at a wedding... we also hired a caterer for ours who is, himself, vegetarian, so we could be assured that 75% of the menu that IS vegetarian is going to be yummy... if you do choose the veggie route, just be very careful in who you pick, like matron said....

Thanks guys! I think what upset me the most about this post was the way it turned into 'you should do this, you have to do that.' As if there were some requirement. People took a much stronger stand on this than on say, if this favor looks cheap, etc... I guess we were all bored.

Thanks! More comments welcome..


BTW: i just discovered Vineyard caterers..I am so exicited to visit them, I saw somewhere that they customize menus! YAY!

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Posted by Sonicstef

If the bride and grooms are vegetarians, it makes perfect sense to have a vegetarian reception.

I would just stress that the food be normal food that both vegetarians and meat eaters are used to eating. Things like starches and fruit and veggies.

I think if someone told me the menu was going to be all vegetarian, that might scare me a bit into think its going to be all bean sprouts and soy...but that doesnt have to be the case.

So my suggestion would be to go to an excellent caterer who does all kinds of food and just have them create a vegetarian menu...rather than going with a vegetarian caterer who really emphasiszes that aspect. Does that make sense?

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Well said! DH and I are both vegetarians and we had a vegetarian wedding. We searched high and low for a caterer who could do it right and found one! The food was fabulous! People still comment on how good it was to this day (and they are not just saying it to be kind). We were sure to have a variety of foods from various ethnic backgrounds. There was always choice and selection! If it matters to you then do it and don't care what others say!

DH and I felt that we have these values and they matter very much to us. It is more than just a diet, it is a way of life and a set of beliefs. We could not have people come to celebrate the two of us by breaking those values. It would have hurt and offended us. If people were not comfortable with the food then that would have been fine, they didn't have to celebrate us and come to our wedding.

Our guests never said anything bad about our decision or our menu and nearly none of them were vegetarian. As guests I would expect them to extend us that courtesy even if they did not like it. They were not invited to my wedding just to have a meal, they were invited to a celebration, which included a meal. It's not about the food it's about the marriage.

I'm sorry to hear you got such a strong negative response on this board about your thoughts, Mayrmoon. The post went on so long that I couldn't finish it (short on time right now). It sounds like we share similar beliefs on serving meat at dinner parties and choice in restaurants. Feel free to FM me if you have any questions about who I used or what I had served....or if you want some support. I just stumbled upon this post today while searching for something else!

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Posted by cocoa

i'm a vegetarian and i would be killed if i had a vegetarian only wedding...so i'm having veggie meals but i have to satisfy the meat eaters.

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me too.. I am having more options cause I hate it when I go to a wedding and I can't eat anything, while my friend is probably spending at least $150 bucks for me to eat a plate of steamed veggies.

it's important to have your personality come through- but, you also want to make sure your guests are pleased.

Unfortunately- most people can't understand why we wouldn't want to eat any meat...

Marymoon, I feel that I owe you an apology. I ran the issue by FH, (while he HATES veggies), he said to me ' Would you go to a Kosher wedding and expect a meal that violates Kosher law?' After that comment, I felt REALLY bad about pushing you into a non-veggie wedding, and I am really sorry about that.

Thanks so much. I really appreciate that.

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Posted by fashionhag

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Posted by eogara

Ladies, this seems to be turning someplace we probably don't want to go...

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I still want to be a size 6 for my wedding. I know that has nothing to do with this conversation, but I figured I would throw it out there.

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Like your style!

Honestly, I would think it rude to impose your beliefs on your guests. - But that's JMO

I also think it's rude when people throw such an event and don't serve alcohol b/c 'they' don't drink. - .....you have a room full of people there to share you day and enjoy.....you know ??

uh oh - i just responded to the 1st post. - i didn't realize this was an 8 page ordeal !!!

Well, whoever asked the question asked for opinions, positive or negative right ? So, now you have them and you can go from there. -
Good Luck !!

I don't eat red meat or pork and rarely like the fish option at weddings (I'm picky) or the chicken (its usually to dry for me), so I usually don't eat the main course - and I don't mind. The CH is my favorite part anyway! So, I wouldn't mind if the main meal was vegetarian or all red meat - if I don't like it, I'll eat when I get home.

But, I know my FIL, husband, brothers, and uncle would not be happy with a vegetarian wedding - and I would feel bad not giving them something that they would enjoy. How would the majority of your guests react?