Vegetarian/ Vegan Option?

whitneywoolf

I see a ton of people posting about how you need to offer a vegatarian/vegan option at your wedding. I am from Oklahoma and an Agriculture major so me and my fiance love meat. I am aware of one person coming that is vegan but Im sure she will come prepared because she knows me and what I like very well and will not expect a special meal...I am however not sure about anyone on my FI side but Im going to say NO more than 2 or 3 would be vegetarians. We will have probably 2 meatless appitizers and salads with our meals but I dont have the option of offering a full vegetarian or vegan entree...with such a limited number of people who dont eat meat..ie..may 5 out of 225...what would you suggest I do??

This is a run down of our menu:

APPS:
Cream cheese and jalepeno filled duck wrapped in bacon
Pinwheeels
Cheese and Veggie Tray-
Fruit skewers with herbs and mozzarella
Were also considering some type of seafood app


DINNER:
Salad with the choice of Vinagrette or Ranch
Baked Chicken 
Green Beans- which will also have bacon in them
Mashed Potato Bar-
Rolls 

Late Night:
Still deciding between slider bar or taco bar.

      

peanutty2

Yes, it's really not fair for you to just expect people who don't eat meat to just eat beforehand because you're only serving what you like.  Especially that you KNOW there's at least one vegan and possibly more vegetarians.  Caterers are used to this and you should just let them know ahead of time that you are expecting a few vegetarians and 1 vegan and to have a dish prepared for them.  The vegan won't even have an app, but that's not so bad, she should at least get a dinner though.

BTW if there's any way to leave the bacon out of the green beans I would suggest that.  I know a lot of people love bacon in everything, and maybe it's just me, but I know a lot of people who do eat meat but do not eat bacon.  And since this is your only vegetable option it'd be nice if it was just a vegetable.

jessicabessica

You don't have to serve each guest's favorite food, but I think you should at least try to give them something that approaches a filling meal.  You know you have a vegan friend coming, and she will have nothing to eat except some veggies and salad.  Just because she doesn't expect you to be a considerate host doesn't mean you shouldn't be one. 

Can your caterer prepare a vegan pasta dish (or something vegan, just trying to give you a simple suggestion) that would be available only for the vegetarians, and not as a second entree choice? 

whitneywoolf

I can def consider leaving the bacon out of the green beans, but unfortunately the dinner is included in my wedding package and they do not offer a veg meal. Im not expecting them to eat before, and I do want to accomidate them, just not sure how.

jessicabessica

That's really weird that they won't budge on a veg meal.  I would not accept that, because I think it's fairly standard for caterers to have something, or at least be willing to try, and I assume you're paying the venue full price for the vegetarian/vegan guests, but they're not going to eat anything.  I would demand that they do better. 

You might want to post on your local board, if you don't already, to see if other ladies here have used your venue/caterer and see if they can give you some tips or ideas. 

loveducks27

As someone who was a vegetarian for a long time, I'm sure your guests will thoroughly appreciate food they can eat.  Can you have some slight variations for them, like a plain baked potato instead of mashed, and maybe a spicy vegan black bean dish to be used as taco filling?

NOLAbridealmost

Even if your caterer won't work with you (and, by the way, there is no way I'd consider doing business with a vendor who is that rigid), surely you could provide several vegan dishes from a local restaurant or something and direct the caterer to deliver those meals to the known vegetarians? 

I'd rather see you scrap the late night sliders/tacos and actually spring for two options at meal time.  You could offer baked chicken and then something meatless. I guarantee that at least a couple carnivores out there might be in the mood for something else and partake in the meatless option. I'd be disappointed if I didn't have any choices and I am not a vegetarian.  

kaesha

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_vegetarian-vegan-option?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:51b4b6f6-013c-43bb-8676-38123e066909Post:24fe8621-34a4-45c1-9cae-3a9d451aeab3">Re: Vegetarian/ Vegan Option?</a>:
[QUOTE]Even if  your caterer won't work with you (and, by the way, there is no way I'd consider doing business with a vendor who is that rigid), surely you could provide several vegan dishes from a local restaurant or something and direct the caterer to deliver those meals to the known vegetarians?  I'd rather see you scrap the late night sliders/tacos and actually spring for two options at meal time.  You could offer baked chicken and then something meatless. I guarantee that at least a couple carnivores out there might be in the mood for something else and partake in the meatless option. I'd be disappointed if I didn't have any choices and I am not a vegetarian.  
Posted by NOLAbridealmost[/QUOTE]

I totally agree with all of this.

jennbrowner

I agree with the PP, the venue should be able to make a few vegetarian or vegan dishes for you without needing to put it on your menu as an additional option.  Have you spoken with the venue yet?

FaithCaitlin

I'm surprised your venue is being so difficult. I agree with the PP who said to skip the late night option for a second meatless option.

Heck, even if your venue won't offer something meatless, I'd contract out a restaurant or another caterer to bring in something meatless, but I'm sure your venue won't allow that. If worse came to worse, I'd probably try to make a meatless lasagna or something similar to bring to accomodate those who are meat free.
BTW- your menu sounds really good!

GoodLuckBear14

Ask them what they do with vegetarian brides and grooms.  That they won't even give you an option sounds like they are trying to go out of business.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

If you are inviting someone, it is polite to accomodate them. The only thing that I KNOW the vegan can eat would be the veggies off the veggie tray. Mashed potatoes are usually made with butter or cream. You might not be able to trust the vinaigrette dressing, either.

I personally can't go 6+ hours not eating. I would end up getting sick and have to leave.

In the end, you are hosting a reception to thank your guests for witnessing your marriage. You need to treat them well.

stephdonjon

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_vegetarian-vegan-option?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:51b4b6f6-013c-43bb-8676-38123e066909Post:80a76e49-163c-43fb-9a70-57976c225eb8">Re: Vegetarian/ Vegan Option?</a>:
[QUOTE]The vegetarians/vegan probably won't be able to eat the mashed potatoes either. A lot of times, those are made with chicken stock. Most salad dressings are dairy based, which will keep your vegan from eating them. Basically, the only thing I think your vegan can eat is the raw veggies appetizer and that is not sufficient. You need  to talk to your venue.  You don't have to add a meatless entree option to the whole buffet, but the venue should be able to make 4 vegetarian and 1 vegan meals.   You would tell the venue where your vegetarian/vegan guests are seated and they would bring the proper meal to them. A proper host tries to accommodates their guests dietary restrictions and/ or allergies.  I'm not talking about making sure PICKY eaters are taken care of, but people with legitimate dietary restrictions should be accommodated in the best way your venue can.
Posted by ILoveMilkDuds[/QUOTE]<div>This. 100%. I would never have known how many meals include some type of meat stock until I met FI who is a vegetarian. He kind of hates attending weddings because so often he can eat one vegetable side. 

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Kreskin79

I concur with the pp(s); if your venue is being that rigid, you need to sit them down and work out a way in which your vegan and vegetarian guests will receive full meals.

SirJuliusVonHaast

I have never heard of a venue that won't offer a vegetarian option, and 5 veg out of 225 guests is probably about the norm. I would speak to the venue again about this, and if they really won't make something (which would be crazy) ask them if you can bring in outside food for the vegetarians. At the very least, they shouldn't be charging you full price for people who will only be able to eat a few carrot sticks. 

neongreenbox

I agree with the other posts about speaking with your caterer. I have been a vegetarian for 12 years now and I am prepared to be happy with sides at weddings - but your poor vegan will be completely out of luck. We are doing a buffet/stations reception and my caterer offered to do some plates of vegetarian options (such as seitan or grilled portabello) and keep them to the side instead of in view of everyone. This way when I or any other vegetarians come up we can ask for that option and we won't have to have a whole tray of something that just a few will eat. So many you can come up with something like that that can be in place of the Chicken. Maybe some falafel or samosa type things can be made. Further inquire with your caterer about options and I would just speak to the vegan and ask what they would prefer.
Also make sure there is nothing else hiding in the salad that would make it inedible for your vegetarians.
A lot of people don't realize that if you have been a vegetarian/vegan for a while your body can't actually metabolize meat proteins anymore - so even if you figured - well maybe they won't care about the bacon and just eat the green beans, they can still get awfully sick.