Vegan Weddings Inspire Love and Compassion

I met the man of my dreams while volunteering for Compassion Over Killing. Together, we helped launch and grow the Los Angeles Volunteer Chapter before we officially established the COK office in LA in April 2011. From partners in activism we became partners in life when we married on August 5, 2011.

Our vegan wedding couldn’t have been more magical, and lucky for us, our special day has been commemorated in the July + August issue of our favorite magazine, VegNews! We are featured, along with seven other couples, for hosting vegan weddings—a celebration of not only love but compassion.

Chris and I incorporated our vegan values into our event in a variety of ways. Choosing a garden theme was natural since, as vegans, we love fruits and veggies. So, we selected 17 favorites to act as centerpieces and table assignments: Pear, Clementine, Peach, Grape, Pepper, Plum, Strawberry, Apricot, Cherry, Apple, Tomato, Lemon, Radish, Mango, Artichoke, Eggplant, and Avocado. After the wedding, we used the fruits and vegetables for the next week’s meals, and planted all of the succulents in our backyard where they’re thriving.

As most of our guests were not actually vegan, we explained the concept on our wedding website, where we also added the link to COK’s popular Vegetarian Guide to Los Angeles under “Entertainment.” In addition, we asked guests to consider wearing alternatives to leather, wool, silk, and pearls, and listed some of our favorite cruelty-free guides and retailers for encouragement.

Of course, the real outreach was done with the food! Thanks to our venue’s amenable chef, we were able to create a delicious menu based largely on The Conscious Cook that we knew would impress:

• Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Sauce
  
• Field Roast Apple Sage Sausage Wrapped in Phyllo Dough
• Twice-Baked Fingerling Potatoes with Crisped Dulse
  
• Tempura Beet Rollatini with Balsamic Gastrique
• Fresh-Baked Focaccia with Caramelized Onions
• Caesar Salad with Focaccia Croutons
• Artichoke Ricotta Tortellini with Saffron Cream Sauce
• Peppercorn Encrusted Portobello Fillets with Yellow Tomato Bearnaise and Mashed Potatoes
  
• Pine Nut and Basil Seared Gardein Chick’n Breast with Lobster Mushroom Beurre Blanc, Braised Kale, and Fingerling Potatoes

We designed the cakes, chocolate favors, and even specialty cocktails ourselves based on our favorite flavors, and were delighted to see our baked good fantasies come to fruition.

Throughout the evening our relatives and friends told us that they never knew plant-based options could be so delectable and decadent, and that they were excited to try more vegetarian recipes in the future—it was the ultimate wedding present!

You can see a snapshot of our wedding album on Facebook and read more details in the photo captions, but our story is best captured in the latest issue of VegNews, available for purchase online or on newsstands July 1. Whether or not you are planning a vegan wedding of your own, all the couples’ creative touches and romantic gestures are sure to inspire. After all, love is even lovelier when it helps animals!