Wedding Cakes & Food Forum

Vegan guests...whats for dinner?

So FI and I were going through our guest list making notes about known allergies, dietary restrictions, etc..so we could make sure all of our guests have a good meal. We have 2 vegan guests and we're just unsure on what we can offer them to eat. We're planning a buffet and every single one of our food choices has some kind of animal product. (Never realized how much stuff has milk, butter and eggs until I really started going through...sheesh!) Aside from a few nut allergies these 2 are the only guests we have with such a significant restriction so we want to make sure we accommodate them as much as possible

Our caterer has done vegetarian before but never strict vegan. She said she could talk to some colleagues and see if they had some suggestions. We have confidence that she will come up with some ideas but I figured I would check with all you lovely ladies (and gents) to see if any of you had any vegan guests and what worked (or didn't work!) food wise. Thanks!

 

Re: Vegan guests...whats for dinner?

  • So FI and I were going through our guest list making notes about known allergies, dietary restrictions, etc..so we could make sure all of our guests have a good meal. We have 2 vegan guests and we're just unsure on what we can offer them to eat. We're planning a buffet and every single one of our food choices has some kind of animal product. (Never realized how much stuff has milk, butter and eggs until I really started going through...sheesh!) Aside from a few nut allergies these 2 are the only guests we have with such a significant restriction so we want to make sure we accommodate them as much as possible

    Our caterer has done vegetarian before but never strict vegan. She said she could talk to some colleagues and see if they had some suggestions. We have confidence that she will come up with some ideas but I figured I would check with all you lovely ladies (and gents) to see if any of you had any vegan guests and what worked (or didn't work!) food wise. Thanks!

    @Halloqueen81

    I am not sure how close you or your fiance are to these guests but would asking them what they tend to eat be an option? You could play it off as you're just not very familiar with vegan lifestyle and want to make sure everyone is comfortable. 

    Otherwise this article might help you.

  • @Halloqueen 81 : What are you currently serving? Is there anything that can be modified to be made vegan? What kind of buffet are you hosting? It would help to know what kind of foods might fit into your vision!
    image
  • The guests are my cousin and his girlfriend. I don't mind reaching out to them about what they would prefer. I just want to make sure our caterer would be comfortable making it, so I thought it would be best to give them some menu choices and let them pick from those. Or hopefully we could find something we could just add to the buffet for everyone to enjoy, including them.

    As far as our current menu...we're doing a North meets South kind of thing since I'm from NY and my FI is from GA...prime rib and pork loin for entrees...we of course are having a starch and some veg among some other stuff...I just feel bad that they would be forced to eat nothing but potatoes and green beans for dinner if we don't come up with some sort of entree they could enjoy.

    It's probably me being overly concerned...I just don't want anyone to go hungry. I was a pescetarian for 8 years and found myself thoroughly left out at a few meat heavy weddings.

     

  • I don't think you are being overly concerned. You should be concerned about the comfort of your guests. That just makes you a great host!

    There are some great ideas here:


    I'm partial to the butternut squash ravioli. I'm not vegan, but anything with butternut squash and broccolini has my name on it! Just make sure your vegan guests get first dibs, and that the serving spoons don't end up anywhere near meat/dairy products!
    image
  • We had a butternut squash ravioli that was vegan.  Our caterer was very accommodating.  They had a bunch of vegan options or standard menu items they could convert to being vegan.  

    My MIL is vegetarian, but often makes dishes that are vegan.  I'd suggest a bean dish, or a mushroom dish.  I personally love portobello mushroom dishes.
  • I would have your caterer make the potatoes and green beans vegan, and then have a separate entree that would be given to the 2 vegans separately (I would be all for having it on the buffet for everyone, but I understand that can increase costs.  What about a grilled portabello mushroom or a pepper stuffed with beans/lentils and veggies?  If you go the mushroom route, I would make sure that your cousin and his gf like mushrooms, since they can be a love it or hate it food, and it would be unfortunate if they hated the food that was prepared especially for them.
  • Thank you everyone for your ideas! All these butternut squash ravioli references are making me hungry! 

    I think we're going to just find a dish we can add to our buffet for everyone to enjoy...and then just make sure our veggies are prepared vegan. Seems like the best case scenario all around!

     

  • We're doing a plated dinner, however we chose a mushroom risotto for our vegan meal and made sure both salads were vegan friendly.
  • We are doing a plated dinner. I am a vegan the plate they had me try y venue's menu tasting which was wonderful was tofu with a teriyaki glaze on a bed of shredded carrots, pepper and zucchini, with roasted red potatoes and spinach with almonds.  I can't wait to eat it on our wedding day!

    Anniversary

  • i would get the imput also of your cousin and guest to make sure they like an are ok with it. anything that would need a stock to cook in make sure its done in vegetable stock

    as for the potatoes and veggies most are made with butter salt and pepper and the potatos if they are whipped or mashed they are made with milk so a separate plate for them with seasonings other than milk and butter would be good
  • My venue is making an eggplant tower.  It is just roasted eggplant in marinara sauce with portobello mushrooms.  No cheese.  There will be potatoes or risotto (minus parmesan cheese)
  • I'm having an acorn squash stuffed with a rice and lentil pilaf. He is also adding smoked tofu for me, but it is not necessary.
  • Our caterer is doing lots of grilled veggies (portabella mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes, etc.) done with olive oil and fresh herbs. We have several vegetarians and someone with a dairy allergy, so even our sauces are vegan-friendly.
    ~*~*~*~*~

  • The guests are my cousin and his girlfriend. I don't mind reaching out to them about what they would prefer. I just want to make sure our caterer would be comfortable making it, so I thought it would be best to give them some menu choices and let them pick from those. Or hopefully we could find something we could just add to the buffet for everyone to enjoy, including them.

    As far as our current menu...we're doing a North meets South kind of thing since I'm from NY and my FI is from GA...prime rib and pork loin for entrees...we of course are having a starch and some veg among some other stuff...I just feel bad that they would be forced to eat nothing but potatoes and green beans for dinner if we don't come up with some sort of entree they could enjoy.

    It's probably me being overly concerned...I just don't want anyone to go hungry. I was a pescetarian for 8 years and found myself thoroughly left out at a few meat heavy weddings.

    I'd be a little concerned about a caterer that was uncomfortable making something unless it was a crazy complicated dish.  
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • Both of my Future Sister-In-laws are vegan, so I understand your dilemma! Some of their favorite meals are -
    • pasta with mushrooms, onions and other veggies cooked in olive oil and marsala (think Chicken marsala, without the chicken!)
    • Vegan Butternut squash mac and cheese (its actually super delicious, no fake cheese needed!)
    • quinoa anything
    • Stirfry

    Hope that helps!

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