Veggie, please?

A certain politician's daughter has been causing a few waves over her recent wedding. One in particular was relevant to our wedding and was brought to our attention by our wordsmith neighbor in this NY Times article, which asks whether a vegetarian bride should serve meat or tofu at her wedding.

The particular bride referenced above chose to serve meat. But, as you know if you came to our wedding, Alex and I decided not to serve meat. Alex has been a life-long vegetarian, and I don't like the way that meat is mass produced here, so meat is not something that is a part of our meals. We thought for a while about whether or not to serve meat at our wedding. I'm not a strict vegetarian, and weddings are a place where you put a lot of energy into thinking about your guests and how to best serve their needs. We knew that most of our guests prefer to eat meat as a part of their meals, which meant that truly serving them would mean having a meat option at the buffet. But, we also knew that we were looking at a lifetime as a relatively meat-free household, so starting out our married life by serving meat felt false. Every decision we made for the wedding was true to us, but serving meat would not be. In a very bride moment, I decided that I would like to have a vegetarian wedding, and Alex was fully on board.

Our caterers, Meriwether Godsey and Groovin' Gourmets, were wonderful in accommodating us. They both already had many vegetarian options, but they came up with even more to meet our needs. One of MG's new ideas was the fresh butternut squash ravioli, which was really beyond our expectations. It was perfect for us since it was also the meal that Alex made me the night he proposed. Alex and I came up with what we thought would be a menu that would provide our guests with enough good and hearty food that they'd hardly realize that they were not being served the typical wedding chicken.

For the sake of posterity, here is our Friday menu from MG:

Cheese and fruit platter
Insalata caprese
Crispy potato pancakes
Spinach salad
Greek bean bake
Sweet potato casserole
Sauteed green beans
Summertime spaghettini
Fresh butternut squash ravioli
Bread
Berry shortcake bar

And, our Saturday menu from GG:

Vegetable paella station
Black bean cakes with sofrito salsa
Corn and basil fritters with red curry
Sweet potato biscuits with grilled apples
Plaintain tostones with mojo sauce
Grilled pineapple skewers with coconut sauce

GG also catered the Welcome Party on Thursday, and here's the rough menu:

Roasted tomato & mozzarella caprese skewers
Tortellini skewers with red pepper pesto and toasted almonds
Peppadew peppers stuffed with herbed chevre
Cashew crusted blue cheese grape poppers
Fruit & cheese combination platter
Roasted pepper hummus, tabbouleh, and baba ghanoush
Asparagus tips
Miniature assorted tartlettes
Assorted chocolate truffles