When we got married back in 2015 I wasn’t yet vegan and so it never crossed my mind about what we served for dinner, other than would it please everyone, or whether my makeup was cruelty free. In the last couple of years I’ve been lucky enough to photograph some totally vegan weddings, and it definitely got me thinking about how our day would be, were we doing it now that I’ve been vegan myself for about 5 years. Some of my recent couples have been kind enough to chat to me about how they planned their vegan wedding days to be sustainable, cruelty and animal product free.
Beckie & Lee – The Old Palace, Chester
My last wedding of 2022 was with the absolutely wonderful Beckie & Lee at The Old Palace in Chester and they had a completely vegan day, from breakfast snacks & plantable name places, to that incredible cake, and everything in between!
How did you decide on having a totally vegan wedding day?
We are both vegan and have been for several years now and we didn’t want our celebration to contribute to any animal suffering – we ensured our clothing was not derived from leather or silk and we made our whole wedding very eco friendly with no single use plastics, all printed material on recycled paper or card and edible favours.
Were most of your guests vegan, and did you get any resistance from guests to having a totally vegan day?
No – we have a lot of vegetarian friends who were really happy with the menu. Our menu actually inspired two couples on the day to try a plant based diet on weekdays. We did have a few guests who initially questioned it, but they ended up coming to the wedding, really enjoying it and saying how nice the food was.
What was on your vegan wedding menu?
We had canapes for the reception – katsu pumpkin bites, refried bean toasts and mushroom gyoza, and for our wedding breakfast we had root vegetables with parsnip crisps, mushroom wellington and then a pear crumble with chai custard – our guests were really impressed!
Who were your vegan wedding suppliers?
Photography – Sarah Horton
Musician – Jessica Diamond
Cake – Cindy at CV Cakes
Venue – The Old Palace catered for a totally vegan menu, including wines.
Do you have any advice for couples planning a vegan wedding day?
There are lots of vegan suppliers out there. Find someone who will cater to exactly what you want and need. We encouraged friends and family to ask us questions about a vegan lifestyle and a few of them are exploring it in more detail which is always a win and a great step forward.
Jade & Helen – The Out Barn, Clitheroe
Did you have a totally vegan wedding? Yes we did, we are both vegan and we wanted it to be our day, so we went ahead and did it our way!
Were most of your guests vegan, and did you get any resistance to having a totally vegan day?
Nope, the majority were not vegan! There were a few comments made from both people attending and not attending but we just stood our ground and said that’s the way we wanted to do it!
What was on your vegan menu?
Tofu starter, Vegan haggis pie, Chocolate and biscoff torte
Who were your vegan wedding suppliers and how did you find them?
We didn’t have fully vegan suppliers, but we found ones that offered vegan services. The Out Barn, Cheshire Dining Company, Leanne Jackson Make Up, Flower Shack by Sarah and you for photography.
Your best advice for couples planning a vegan wedding day?
Just do it. Vegan food is great and people will get over it if they have any issues…. I’m sure if I didn’t even tell people it was all vegan, they wouldn’t have had a clue! Stand your ground and enjoy your day!
Jayde & Josh – Beamish Hall, Durham
Your best advice for planning a vegan wedding day?
Its really hard I’m not going to lie. Its hard to keep everyone happy at a wedding. Expecially with mixed generations and young children. We tried to promote choice at our wedding and was more vegan than not. It is your day after all but it already comes with alot of stress. All the things we felt we had control over we made it as ethical as we could. Just like been vegan, it’s all about doing the best you can. Try getting things from Facebook market place for second hand items, or renting things. And for favors, try being creative as you can with as little waste as possible. Also having an amazing vegan and ethical photographer is a bonus!
What were your vegan food choices?
We had fresh tomato and basil soup for a starter, courgettes and roasted potatoes and a vegan chocolate cheese cake for desert. A lot of the food was accidentally vegan and we promoted choice for our none vegan guests.
How did you find your vegan wedding suppliers?
I had a lovely vegan makeup artist I found on Instagram. She’s called cruelty free makeup artist at Whitby Shepards purse. We had a lovely vegan wedding cake that was unreal. we highly recommend Jesmond Cake Company!
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