To only serve vegan food at my wedding.

[inthewest]

My partner and myself are both vegan. We want to serve an only vegan menu from an excellent vegan caterer. I know people aren't a fan of "fake meat" and we've deliberately chosen to not have anything of that sort. Our menu will include many options and will cater to allergies and dietary needs such as celiac. The food is delicious, is very "us" and reflects us as couple.

We have had pushback from my partners family. Adult family. I'm fully prepared to cater for children but not adults. Our thinking is that it's one meal.

@OhWhyNot

I’m not vegan i love meat

As I’m a fairly good cook I don’t find it difficult to cook delicious vegan dishes

As many of us will eat without giving it a second thought until it’s labelled vegan

I don’t like vegan food is the 2021 version or I don’t like any foreign muck from the 70’s

Yes! Jawdropping thread. Special hat tip to the people who think 'older relatives' are the problem here. I'm not far off 60 and have been eating a varied diet, attempting not to have too much meat, ever since I left home. There are plenty of people like me 10, 20 years older. Restaurant menus show we're far from unusual.

Age has very little to do with these weird attitudes to food.

There are a lot of people with ibs, intolerances, chronic illnesses that stick to a more paleo type of diet. But anyway if the caterers consider each people's requirements, I'm sure having a vegan meal isn't a problem. When you say "no one is allergic to vegetables though" or whatever you said, well a lot of people fall ill when eating certain vegetables, so that would be an intolerance. So worth considering.

@ArcheryAnnie - you can make a really nice version of Chinese 'seaweed' with kale. It's got a similar taste & texture.

@SchrodingersImmigrant

Guests will not suffer from having excellent vegan food rather than mediocre, dull chicken and two overboiled veg (for example) for just one meal of their lives!

The thing is taht everyone is assuming it will be an excellent vegan food.

Also, what's up with that chicken everyone is mentioning? Is that some UK thing?😂

The OP assures us in her post that the caterer is an excellent vegan one, and I see no reason to doubt her!

Clearly, chicken is the least worst option at a UK hotel-catered wedding reception!

@TheKeatingFive

My point was I don't look forward to meals without meat or dairy in the main hence I wouldn't particularly be looking forward to an all vegan wedding.

Well I don’t look forward to meals with dry, over cooked chicken either. We all have our preferences, so I’m not sure if the point you’re making.

The only point I've made throughout the thread is that I would still go to the wedding, wouldn't say a thing to the bride or groom about their food, that OP absolutely should have whatever food she wants at the wedding but just that I personally wouldn't be particularly looking forward to it.

What is wrong with that? Please tell me?

I don't think it is older relatives.

Its the generation of entitled I will have what I want.

@HaveringWavering fair enough but that doesn’t mean a meat option would be lower quality!

@dotdashdashdash

Re allergies, are people really allergic to vegetables?

Celery is a really common allergen. As are strawberries. And soya. I'm allergic to beans (including soya to various degrees), lentils and chickpeas. I don't need an epi pen but I've previously been hospitalised due to intestinal bleeding from it.

Yes I forgot celery. My point is that allergies can be catered for and no different from dealing with allergies in non vegan food-celery and strawberries are common ingredients in all sorts of cooking. Casseroles, pavlovas. Surely people would make their requirements known at the time.it’s weird how people are citing allergies as a reason to avoid vegan food, that’s all.

As many of us will eat without giving it a second thought until it’s labelled vegan

This. I was eating sweets the other day and offered a colleague one who was like ‘oh yes I’ve never tried vegan sweets’ gave her one and she pulled her face and went ‘you can tell that’s vegan it’s not very good’.

It was a jelly tot which I have absolutely seen her eat multiple times as it’s one of the only sweets our canteen shop offers

What if your guests don't like the vegan food though? That would be my worry, people saying the food wasn't great.

I would still go to the wedding, can't say I would be overly excited at dinner though, sorry! I enjoy meat too much.

Each to their own

I'm on the fence.
You are fully entitled to have a vegan only menu but have to accept that some people mey decide not to attend.
A good host accommodates their guests, you say it's "delicious vegan food" but without seeing the menu it's impossible for a non-vegan to comment. If the guests are travelling a long way, possibly requiring two meals then it could well be an issue for some of them depending on the sort of food served.
The meal is a large part of the enjoyment of the day.........I've been to some weddings where the food was dreadful and it put a damper on things as guests were hungry.
If being vegan is an ethical issue I don't understand why you would be willing to accommodate children but not adults..........surley it's a vegan event or it isn't?

This is an absolute corker of a vegan dish if you don't have an allergy or intolerance of beans. DS(15) loves it - he even made it for food tech when they did veggie / vegan dishes. The teacher asked for the recipe .

RED DRAGON PIE

@HaveringWavering - last night we had a picky small dishes kind of tea with

Camembert
Chorizo in red wine & honey
Satay chicken sticks
Cheese & onion croquettes

All forrin food!

@YummyButter

What if your guests don't like the vegan food though? That would be my worry, people saying the food wasn't great.

I would still go to the wedding, can't say I would be overly excited at dinner though, sorry! I enjoy meat too much.

Each to their own

Idk, I've been to weddings with shite beef or chicken options. I can't say I was any more satisfied just because they offered me meat.

I think with a vegan wedding though you have to be mindful of what you offer, especially if there are people with less adventurous palates. There's a reason beef and chicken are popular wedding meals, most people like one of the two!

“When I read that I assume that they eat nothing but disgusting over-cooked veg you can drink through a straw, disgusting overcooked meat, and fish and chips.“

But potatoes are fairly famously from another country... so...

Not a vegan, never likely to be a vegan. (Couldn't forgo bacon or cheddar.) However, a lovely vegan vegetable curry is a thing of glory. Vegan food done well can be absolutely delicious.

If you are confident in your caterer, Op (and can cater for any finicky toddlers who only want to eat beans and nuggets) then go for it.

@JediGnot I think this is what that poster eats

@YummyButter

totally agree paying all that money for people to either not eat it or say they didn’t like it 😞

i certainly wouldn’t want people
to remember that about my wedding

Of course YANBU! It’s your wedding.
Just make sure it is delicious and recognisable as food. Some vegan recipes are weird!
Could you do a vegetarian menu with dairy that can easily be omitted for the vegans? Eg either goat’s cheese tart or vegetable tart?
Most people will happily eat a veggie dish if it has cheese.

I’ve been to weddings and not particularly liked the food (salmon with puy lentils was popular a while back I don’t like the combination particularly but ate it)

But I’m sure the bride and groom liked the dish as did many others

The day was lovely just for me the meal wasn’t what I would pick but so what it’s not my day

How can people who like say they don’t like vegan food when they like vegetables

icklboo deep fried? Maybe that's why I didn't mind it sauteed!

Who on earth gave you push back? How small minded and old fashioned.

Serve the vegan food! You don’t need to make a big deal about it. Serve it, and don’t tell anyone it’s vegan or not. Bet you they won’t miss meat or even notice.

British food is one of the few where I struggle to think of actual meals that are also vegan, although I'm sure there are some.

Which is probably why there's a problem with the intersection of vegan and 'no foreign muck'.

Because if you were serving Indian, Chinese, Thai, Spanish, Italian, Greek, middle Eastern or Mexican food there's endless options to choose from.

And tbh I wouldn't be giving kids a non-vegan option at a vegan wedding. Either pasta with tomato sauce or a big plate of chips and beans (maybe quorn nuggets could be offered too, they don't have to eat them if they don't like them) would keep most kids happy. Children seem like the easiest to please in this scenario!

Risotto with vegan parmesan??

You can get vegetarian hard cheese. You can get vegan hard cheese substitutes. You cannot get vegan or vegetarian parmesan, at least not without getting into hot water with the producers. By definition it's made with calf rennet.

I think this thread conclusively proves that it'll be fine, as long as the menu isn't labelled "vegan".