Planning a vegan wedding? From food and favours to wedding dresses, there’s a lot to think about, which is why we’ve pulled together this special guide to help you throw the ultimate vegan celebration…
How to Plan a Vegan Wedding
Planning a wedding day has its challenges, but organising a vegan wedding can be a whole different ball game. What should you wear? Which makeup products should you use? And what will your guests eat?
Of course, a vegan wedding shouldn’t just be about avoiding animal products – you should try to factor in the environment, too. If you need advice on throwing a sustainable big day (without compromising on luxury), our ultimate guide to eco-friendly weddings is just the thing.
Vegan Wedding Catering
Arguably the most important factor when planning a vegan wedding, working out what your guests will eat is something you’ll want to think about carefully.
Whether you want a traditional three-course wedding breakfast, street food trucks or grazing tables, plenty of venues and wedding caterers now offer a host of vegan options to suit your taste and theme.
If you’re already vegan, you’ll have a good idea of what you should and shouldn’t be eating, but if a vegan diet is a fairly new thing for you, foods you should avoid include meat and poultry, fish and seafood, dairy, eggs and bee products, such as honey, bee pollen and royal jelly, among others.
Wedding caterers to consider include The Simply Group in Devon, Cashew Catering in East Sussex, Rupert’s Street in London, Tallulah’s Catering in Shropshire, and Cool Beans in West Yorkshire.
Luxury wedding food extraordinaires Grape & Fig also provide vegan and gluten-free catering options, whether you want a few vegan bites added into the mix, or an exclusively vegan offering.
Got a few guests kicking up a fuss about your vegan menu? Don’t forget, this is yours and your fiancé’s day, so don’t let any snarky comments put you off. Take this as a chance to show them just how delicious vegan food can be; chances are, they won’t even notice the difference!
Vegan Wedding Cakes
Vegan wedding cakes are not only good for the planet, but they’re also more inclusive to guests with allergy and dietary restrictions.
Better yet, as more bakeries begin to offer a wider range of gluten-free and dairy-free products, it’s now much easier to find a cake supplier who can meet your requirements.
From traditional, multi-tiered creations to rainbow cakes and naked cakes, a few of the top spots in London to get a vegan wedding cake are Heart of Cake, Lola’s Cupcakes, and Pearl & Groove.
Wedding cakes at Ruby’s of London are also 100% plant based, so they’re pretty clued up when it comes to creating egg-free, dairy-free and gluten-free products.
If you’re a fan of Flavourtown Bakery, good news – the London-based cake shop has its own vegan range using premium plant-based ingredients, including Valrhona cocoa powder and the finest organic flours.
Bee’s Bakery now offers vegan wedding cakes, too, with all its designs now available as gluten-free and dairy-free.
Based in Chiddingstone in Kent, The Organic Cakery is another vegan wedding cake supplier to have on your radar. This specialist bakery prides itself in using organic, ethical ingredients, and even provides homes for bees, birds and butterflies.
Love The Hummingbird Bakery? The iconic creator of all-things-sweet also offers a range of delicious single-tiered vegan cakes and cupcakes (though sadly you won’t be able to get a multi-tiered vegan cake from here). Choose from four flavours – rainbow, vanilla, red velvet, and devil’s food cake.
Elsewhere in the UK, there’s Jesmond Cake Company in Newcastle, Earthcake in Bristol, and Jo’s Vegan Cakes & Bakes in York, all of which supply vegan wedding cakes.
Alternatively, if you’re hoping to make your own vegan wedding cake, there’s a huge range of recipes out there to have a crack at.
Try this delicious vegan vanilla and berry layer cake recipe if you fancy a more summery, naked design. Or, if you’re hoping to offer guests a vegan dessert table, this round-up of vegan recipes from BBC Good Food is loaded with inspiration.
Vegan Wedding Dresses
Avoid: Silk, wool, cashmere, feathers, leather
Look for: Lace, satin, taffeta, cotton, chiffon and peace silk
Wearing a gorgeous wedding dress that doesn’t harm the planet or any animals is achievable – all it takes is a bit of homework!
The key fabric to avoid is silk, as the amount of material needed to produce one silk wedding dress actually requires thousands of silkworms to be killed.
If you’ve booked an appointment at a bridal boutique, be sure to let them know before you arrive that you aren’t interested in seeing any silk dresses, as they’ll be better prepared to show you alternatives.
However, if you’ve still got your heart set on a silk dress, look for gowns that use eri silk, peace silk or ahimsa silk, which are made without killing any silkworms.
When you start your search, you’ll likely be surprised by just how many vegan dress designers are out there – even Stella McCartney has jumped on the bandwagon with her own vegan-friendly bridal collection, which features nine different styles of lace, chiffon and other luxurious couture fabrics.
Other vegan-friendly designers to keep an eye out for are River Elliot Bridal, Tammam, Indiebride London, Sister Organics, The Conscious Bride, Greenway Brides, Julie Dutton, and Emmy Mae Bridal.
Vegan Wedding Makeup
Avoid: Beeswax, carmine or Red Lake 40 (derives from crushed beetle’s blood), and guanine (an element in fish scales) – don’t forget to check the label.
The key with vegan wedding makeup is to choose a makeup artist who uses cruelty-free beauty products. Vegan makeup artists to look out for include Justine Jenkins, Tanya Westley, Glow Organic, Make Up By Linda, and Ellie Gill.
In terms of products, popular cruelty-free and vegan brands to consider for your wedding makeup include Cover FX, Inika, Hourglass, Milani, Charlotte Tilbury, and Axiology.
Searching for vegan beauty tools? Check out Spectrum from vegan and cruelty-free makeup brushes, plus Urban Decay and EcoTools.
And for that all-important pre-wedding pamper, The Body Shop is great for vegan face masks, cleansing washes and oils, as are Green People, Pai Skincare, Skyn Iceland, B. Skincare, and Evolve Beauty.
Vegan Wedding Favours
Vegan wedding favours are fairly easy to come by, particularly if you look on Etsy, where you can find everything from vegan soap bars, to vegan chocolate truffles and sweet cones.
Soy wax candles are a popular vegan wedding favour choice, too, and The Botanical Candle Co has some divine offerings, including wax melts and adorable tealights.
If you’d rather gift guests something edible, Yumbles has a great selection of goodies to choose from, including vegan chocolates, biscuits, popcorn and sweets.
Or why not whip up your own vegan foodie favours? There’s heaps of vegan recipes out there to try, including vegan biscuits from BBC Good Food, and a vegan chocolate recipe from Minimalist Baker.
Wild flower seeds or seed bombs also make for meaningful wedding favours, and they’re also good for the environment. Wildflower Favours, Wedding in a Teacup, Friends of the Earth and Etsy all offer wildflower seeds that help bees and brighten up your outdoor space. Some even allow you to personalise the seed packets or pouches, too!
Vegan Wedding Photographer
Did you know that a lot of photographic materials aren’t vegan-friendly? Wedding film, for instance, contains gelatine as it helps to preserve the longevity and strength of the film. The trick is to ensure your photographer shoots your wedding photos digitally.
Photo paper often also includes gelatine, so find out whether your photographer can print using paper that’s resin coated instead.
Vegan wedding photographers across the UK include Craig Williams in Essex, Lincolnshire-based Sam and Louise, Sainte Croix Photography in Hampshire, and Freckle Photography in Devon.
Planning your own vegan wedding? We’d love to hear which suppliers and tips you’d recommend – simply get in touch on Facebook or Twitter.
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