You Are What You Eat

And by that I do not mean I am a carrot or tofu, but I am a vegan. Yep. No meat, no dairy, no eggs, no gelatin. No fun according to many friends and family. Which leads to: What do you serve for dinner?

Source

I think this is one of those things that people fall into two camps over, The It's My Wedding, I'll Do What I Damn Well Please Camp vs. The You Have To Make Your Guests/Parents Happy Crew. As previously discussed, it's my wedding, I'm paying for it and I'll do what I damn well please. However, what I please is a great party where everyone is happy and having a good time. Thus, a quandry.

I want, need, and plan to eat at my wedding, thus vegan food must be served. I would prefer if my guests were not forced to sneak out to McDonald's to grab a hamburger so they aren't starving. Especially since there are only 35 people invited, and sneaking would be pretty hard to manage. One way I am planning to manage the food issue is to not serve seated dinner, so when it's more of a heavy hors-d'oeuvres event, there isn't the blatant lack of a "Main Dish" i.e. steak or chicken.

I know that food can be a big issue for a lot of brides, especially those planning cross-cultural/interfaith events, and I think many of the popular wedding trends are a great solutions.

Food stations let you serve a variety and let your guests pick and choose what they want. I also think they encourage people to get up and circulate. A drawback can be that they interrupt a traditional itinerary, with speeches and toasts.

Family style serving brings out platters, which once again let's people pick and choose and encourages your guests to talk and get to know one another. The drawback is that for some reason, many venues really don't like this set up (which seems like it would be easier to me, but what do I know).

Cocktail Receptions are also getting popular, they save big money and are less fussy and formal. I think this is a great set up for a smaller wedding, since people really are circulating and can nibble and eat as they please. I would be worried how that would work for a larger event though, especially when it's time for first dances and cake cutting and the rest.

So, for all of us out there planning problem-food receptions, it seems like there are a lot of options. What would you go for?

And a vegan joke, because I can't help my self (that tofu btw):

Source