Weddings and veganism: an unlikely pairing?

It's wedding season! And, when you're strictly vegan, that means attending various affairs where food options can be scarce. I recently had a good veggie burger (without eggs or dairy) on my friend's big day, but I skipped the uncertain bun, added hummus that was available on the table, and neatly stacked the tomato and lettuce back on top. At another wedding, the bride tried ordering me an appropriate meal, but the not-so-vegan-friendly Michigan venue misinterpreted that so I left the cheese ravioli untouched and partied on.

When it's eventually my turn to get married, I certainly plan on having a vegan wedding. And while I don't think people should be surprised by that news, I have experienced a few contentious responses, like "What will people eat?" "Don't you want people to come?" and "I'm going to bring my own milk for coffee." A herbivorous affair may still be uncommon, but the concept of going meat-free for a party nowadays is becoming more and more plausible.

Michigan sunset on the lake

Omnivores won't necessarily understand, but putting aside your beliefs for such an important day would seem incredibly contradictory to me. It's a time one should arguably feel the happiest and most loved by their guests! That's exceedingly difficult if they expect you to suppress your strong feelings on the subject because no one thinks they can go without meat, fish, dairy or eggs for one meal.

I know weddings should be fun for everyone involved, but a) That shouldn't come at the expense of the bride and groom's happiness and b) Who's to say eating vegan for a few hours is going to suck the joy out of an event? Bonus: c) As I tried expressing in my intro, I don't think food is the most important factor at a wedding anyway, and d) It still surprises me that many omnivores misconceive what vegan food can actually taste like nowadays.

Just some of the food I've had that didn't harm any animals

Although I briefly considered whether I would be able to "compromise" and have a wedding that wasn't vegan, I personally couldn't ignore what has basically become my religion for an event that would be half in my honour, and at least half my responsibility to plan. I have never even enjoyed the fact that my mom would host barbecues (with various meat options) for my birthday over the years, which happens to fall out just as the summer is approaching. And a wedding is a much bigger deal than a birthday party.

I'm very appreciative of the fact that, despite not being vegan himself, my boyfriend understands and respects my point-of-view when it comes to animal suffering. For the most part, he has been very supportive and accommodating when it comes to discussing our plans for a future wedding. And while such an event may be exciting for multiple people involved, most brides have arguably anticipated the day for the longest amount of time. They only plan to have one wedding and they want it to fulfill their expectations.

People may think your vegan wedding is "offbeat" 

My intention in having a vegan event would not be to convert people or impose my beliefs on them. If it happened to open people's eyes and taste buds up to food they would have never tried otherwise, then of course I'd be thrilled. But the bottom line is: vegans don't look at meat and animal by-products as plain old food. We think of all the suffering that animals endured and that is hard to overlook. An evening that is meant to be a celebration― particularly of love and unity―should not include such painful imagery.

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