The case for a vegetarian wedding reception

March 5, 7:36 PMPhoenix Vegetarian ExaminerGenevieve Rice

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Your wedding should be a reflection of who you and your future spouse are.  If you love the outdoors, you’ll probably choose a beautiful, natural setting for your nuptials. If pink is your favorite color, you’ll probably have blush-colored bridesmaid dresses.  And if Queen’s “Fat Bottom Girls” is your favorite song, well, you’re likely to dance to it at your reception simply to extol the virtues of a “heap big woman.” So, if you and/or your future spouse are both vegetarian, why would you serve the traditional chicken or fish?    Except for complaints from the few meat-loving wedding guests who insist on helpings of animal flesh every few hours, there are several reasons to make your wedding reception meat-free.

•    It’s cheaper.  In these troubled economic times, everyone, including brides and grooms, are cutting out the fat, including animal fat. Typically, vegetarian receptions cost significantly less than their meaty counterparts and can still be as elegant, if not more so.

•    It’s an opportunity to showcase your lifestyle. When most omnivores think vegetarian dinner, they think bricks of tofu, with flavorless brown rice and steamed vegetables on the side.  Not so. If done right, you can show the meat-eating haters attending your wedding that the vegetarian diet isn’t all beans and brussels  sprouts. Treat all your guests to an inventive, tasty menu that also happens to be meatless.

•    You still have plenty of food options.  Even after you say no to meat, there are still countless appetizers, entrees and desserts that are both vegetarian-friendly and satisfying to a wide range of tastes. You could start your reception with appetizers such as cheese- and veggie-filled tartlets, fried mushrooms and the always elegant cheese and fruit plate. For the main course, you can serve such meatless crowd pleasers as eggplant parmesan and cheese-stuffed roasted peppers.  Ethnic fare such as Italian, Mexican and Asian also present many ideas for tasty but animal-free entrees.  Most wedding cakes are already vegetarian, but you can even find vegan cakes that don’t scrap the deliciousness with the dairy.
 
•    It’s easier on the earth.  Having a vegetarian wedding means that you and your guests won’t be contributing to the toll the industrialized meat industry takes on our natural resources and livestock. So, you can rest easy while enjoying your wild mushroom and gruyere tart.