THE
VEGAN WEDDING
BOOK
Dear Reader,
Congratulations! You are officially a member of the bride-to-be club the vegan-bride-to-be-club, no less! Make no mistake, any wedding planning is a frenzy of excitement, laughter, tears, and yes, a little bit of stress. But that is all part of planning a wedding, whether or not it is a vegan wedding.
Your vegan fundamentals and beliefs will influence and impact each and every decision. However, you must remember that at its core, a wedding is a wedding. There is a method to this madness. It is your time to take that tried and true planning path and twist, turn, and mold to incorporate your vegan values and personality and there you will find wedding-planning success.
Weddings are an investment of time and money and emotions. Along your chosen planning path, you may be questioned about your decisions, you may find peopleeven your family or best friendmay not understand. You really need to make a commitment to stay strong, stay on task, stay consistent with your partner, and continue to plan your vegan wedding like the smart, fabulous vegan woman you are.
I have watched hundreds of couples plan their weddings their way, and I know that with thought and care, you can plan a vegan wedding that wows your guests and leaves them wanting more so get out there and plan, prepare, and take that walk down the aisle in stunning, cruelty-free shoes, as you celebrate your decisions and make no apologies.
Welcome to the
Series!
These handy, accessible books give you all you need to tackle a difficult project, gain a new hobby, comprehend a fascinating topic, prepare for an exam, or even brush up on something you learned back in school but have since forgotten.
You can choose to read an Everything book from cover to cover or just pick out the information you want from our four useful boxes: e-questions, e-facts, e-alerts, and e-ssentials. We give you everything you need to know on the subject, but throw in a lot of fun stuff along the way, too.
We now have more than 400 Everything books in print, spanning such wide-ranging categories as weddings, pregnancy, cooking, music instruction, foreign language, crafts, pets, New Age, and so much more. When youre done reading them all, you can finally say you know Everything!
PUBLISHER Karen Cooper
DIRECTOR OF ACQUISITIONS AND INNOVATION Paula Munier
MANAGING EDITOR, EVERYTHING SERIES Lisa Laing
COPY CHIEF Casey Ebert
ASSISTANT PRODUCTION EDITOR Melanie Cordova
ACQUISITIONS EDITOR Kate Powers
SENIOR DEVELOPMENT EDITOR Brett Palana-Shanahan
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Ross Weisman
EVERYTHING SERIES COVER DESIGNER Erin Alexander
LAYOUT DESIGNERS Colleen Cunningham, Elisabeth Lariviere, Ashley Vierra, Denise Wallace
Visit the entire Everything Series at www.everything.com
THE
GUIDE TO
VEGAN WEDDING
BOOK
From the dress to the cake, all you need to know
to have your wedding your way!
Holly Lefevre
To my husband and kiddos for their constant love and support.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the following people whose encouragement, insight, and guidance made this book possible: Amberly Finarelli at Andrea Hurst Literary Management for just being the most awesome agent ever; Kate Powers at Adams Media for thinking of me for this project; Chef AJ for her culinary, whole foods, and vegan expertise; Melissa Kay Allen for being my go-to wedding gal; Kirsten Tanner for being my go-to vegan gal; Tiina Kurvi for her careful eye; Jenn Erickson for being a sounding board; and all the vendors and brides I have worked with, who have taught me so much about different cultures, lifestyles, and personalitiesyou are an inspiration.
Top 10 Simple Ways to Veganize Your Wedding
- Lead by example and trust in yourself. Dont apologize for your beliefs and your decisions, and others will respect them. If it doesnt feel right dont do it!
- Practice kindness and giving. Plan with a purpose, give with a cause, and if you do not need anything, suggest donations to charitable vegan organizations.
- Give your guests the benefit of the doubt. You may be worried (and they may think) that they will miss something with a vegan meal, but serve up a grand offering and chances are no one will care or notice! Make the food the star!
- Make conscious decisions about your attire. You may be tempted by extravagant silk designer gowns, but you can get a gorgeous gown in vegan-friendly fabric and stun the guests.
- Get your friends and family on board, and ask that they keep all parties and showers vegan, too!
- Work with and support like-minded people. Support vegan businesses and local vegan vendors.
- Gently inform and educate the guests, but do not expect them all to understand or convert. Now is the time for celebration, not for debating issues.
- Hire a masterful digital photographer to capture your day, and share your photos online with your friends.
- Treat the animals, the earth, and the guests with kindness, and rejoice in the difference a person can make.
- Find an amazing vegan baker and show the guests how delectable and decadent vegan cakes, desserts, and pastries can be.
Introduction
EVERY WEDDING IS DIFFERENT. Sometimes the differences are the location, the theme, or the blending of two cultures, and other times they are due to a particular lifestyle that the bride and groom have embraced. In spite of the multitude of possible circumstances, at its core, the basic premise of planning, orchestrating, and pulling off a wedding celebration is virtually the same. It is once you start to add the personal details and nuances of each couple that the wedding takes on a life of its own. As you introduce your vegan lifestyle into the wedding plans, there will definitely be a few twists and turns to your planning, a few more steps to take, feelings to take into consideration, and strong beliefs to respect but it will all be worth it!
As a couple already living a vegan lifestyle, you know what it takes to maintain that lifestyle and live by your beliefs and convictions. Yet, when it comes to wedding planning, you are now involving a whole set of peoplevendors, friends, and familythat may or may not be truly familiar with what living a vegan life means. In fact, as the bride and groom, you may even be puzzled how to find the vegan resources you need to plan your wedding or how to even incorporate veganism seamlessly into the wedding plans. So, yes, you may possibly face some challenges as you are planning your wedding, but rest assured there are solutions.