Catering for Vegetarians and Vegans at Your Wedding

More and more people these days are shunning meat, whether it is for ethical, political, religious or dietary reasons. If you yourself are a meat eater, it can be somewhat bewildering working out what would make a good vegetarian or vegan option on the menu for your wedding banquet, or to try and include enough things suitable for these dietary preferences in your buffet. This is, however, something you should look into, in order to make sure all of your guests have a good time.

Do Any of Your Guests Actually Have Dietary Needs?

If you are having a very large wedding, it can be quicker and easier to just assume that there will be people coming who would prefer a non-meat meal and cater for them accordingly. However, if you are having a smaller, more intimate wedding with less than 50 guests, for instance weddings at White Hart Wells, who provide gorgeous banquets for smaller wedding groups, then it may be worth checking to see if anybody on your list actually has any dietary needs before planning the menu. It could be that everybody you have invited eats meat and so there is no need to worry about a vegetarian or vegan option if it doesn’t fit with what you would like to serve. It could also be that you don’t have any vegans, but do have people with other needs, like people who need a gluten or lactose free meal.

Do You Cater for Everybody?

Of course, it is up to you how far down this route you go. You may want to try and ensure everybody gets something they can enjoy, including your cousin who is on a low carb diet and your friend from work who only eats halal, or you can simply try and produce catering the majority of people will like without worrying about people with less common needs, given these people tend to be used to having to take care of themselves at catered events. However, it is usually the norm to provide at least one option that is suitable for vegetarians and vegans, especially if you know there are people on your guest list who would expect this.

Talk to Your Caterers About Interesting Meat Free Options

One thing many vegetarians complain about is the way that many restaurants have basically the same few vegetarian options, meaning they rarely get something interesting and new to try when they eat out. Things like cauliflower cheese, spinach and ricotta pasta, and roast squash tend to be the staples of vegetarian catering. If you want to create a menu that your guests will love, talk to the caterers of your wedding about more unusual options. Dishes from other cultures where vegetarianism is more common, like India, can be a good place to start. Pick something outstanding, and you may even find your meat eating guests plumping for the meat free option!

It can be hard to please everybody, but making sure there are at least choices for people whose diet doesn’t include meat or animal products is a good way to avoid conflict at your wedding and even create a more diverse and unusual menu!