How to Host a Vegan Wedding Reception in Style

How to Host a Vegan Wedding Reception in Style

There's a lot to consider when planning a wedding, but for those who are planning a vegan celebration, it can be particularly stressful to make sure the big day fits in with their lifestyle. Here are three steps to help you get started in hosting a vegan wedding reception in style.

1. Choose a Vegan-Friendly Venue

It's important that your wedding venue respects your desire for a completely vegan wedding so that they can tailor their services and produce accordingly. For example, you might ask that they avoid serving beverages that contain animal products or using decorations that contain things like feathers and leather. You may also want to hire an outside caterer rather than using their in-house catering services if the venue is inexperienced in producing vegan food.

When visiting venues, be upfront about your needs to see how receptive they are in creating a vegan environment. You might also consider the wider impact of a venue on animal welfare. For example, a rural venue that has acres of land surrounding it might use this to farm animals or host hunts. Be sure to ask questions about how the entire venue is used and not just the parts that you'll be using for your wedding. This will give you peace of mind that your wedding isn't contributing to animal cruelty.

2. Prep Bridal Boutiques and Tailors Before Visiting

Silk, which is harvested from silkworms, is a common material found in wedding dresses. It's often included in satin, chiffon and tulle, so it's not enough to simply avoid pure silk when searching for a wedding dress. When it comes to suits and tuxedos, wool and cashmere are common non-vegan materials to avoid. It's also fairly common for luxury ties, suits and shirts to contain silk. There's leather to avoid when buying shoes and purses, and it's important to avoid jewellery that contains real pearls or feathers.

Luckily, there are plenty of vegan materials to choose from that offer just as much style and luxury as their non-vegan counterparts. It's useful to seek out bridal boutiques and tailors that either specialise in vegan clothing or have a dedicated line of vegan garments. Make sure you inform businesses about your vegan requirements before you visit so that they have time to prepare garments and materials that are suitable for you.

3. Encourage Guests to Taste New Dishes with a Vegan Buffet

A difficulty many vegan wedding planners come up against is reluctance from guests to eat vegan dishes. Unfortunately, many people believe that vegan food is bland and boring, or that they'll come up against new flavours and textures that they won't enjoy. Vegan dishes can be just as delicious and satisfying as dishes that contain meat and dairy, and once you introduce people to good quality vegan food, they soon realise these stereotypes are wrong.

A great way to overcome cynicism from non-vegan wedding guests is to have buffet-style dining. Guests can pick and choose the dishes that look most appealing to them, and they have an opportunity to sample lots of different foods at once. You won't have to worry about guests going hungry when there's plenty of variety on offer to suit all tastes. Plus, you can showcase the deliciousness of vegan food and change some attitudes about veganism along the way.

Buffets are also a good way to reduce food waste. 15% of wedding guests only eat one or two of their three courses when sitting down to a traditional wedding breakfast. With a buffet, people can tailor servings to their appetites more easily.

Celebrate in Style with An Ethical Reception

While planning your wedding reception might be a little trickier as a vegan, the extra work will pay off as you enjoy your special day safe in the knowledge that your celebration is as ethical as possible.