A Vegan Wedding: Planning Our Vegan Wedding Menu to Align with Our Values

While I’m typically the one focusing on capturing moments, our own wedding day was all about creating them. One of the most memorable parts of our planning experience was creating our vegan wedding menu. Shawn and I chose a venue in the heart of the Hudson Valley, Pioneer Farm, because it prioritizes growing much of its own produce and flowers that we were able to use throughout our day. This approach of locally sourced goods not only reduces the carbon footprint that a large-scale event creates, but also offers unique flavors and freshness that you can’t find anywhere else.

We designed the menu to focus on real, unprocessed foods, showcasing the creativity and skill of our chefs – Shawn of Amuzae Catering and Anthony of Catering by Anthony Mario. We wanted our guests to enjoy the vibrant flavors of fresh, plant-based dishes and show how delicious, filling, and versatile our food can be.

If you’re planning a vegan wedding menu, I hope this rundown of our vegan wedding menu helps as you choose the dishes that are meaningful and exciting to you and your partner!

The Wedding Day

Signature Drinks

• Crazy Hazy: Fresh Muddled Peach Bourbon
• Hazel’s Night Cap: Hazelnut Espresso Martini

Starting off strong, we couldn’t forget about our dog, Hazelnut, so instead of his and her drinks, we had two signature cocktails named after her that were available during different parts of the day! The Crazy Hazy was featured through cocktail hour and reception, and once the sunset and dessert came out, Hazel’s Night Cap was available for the taking! They were a hit with our guests and added a fun, personal touch to our celebration.

Cocktail Hour

Passed Appetizers 

• Philly Mushroom Cheesesteak with Cheese Whiz and Caramelized Onions
• Elote Ribs on a Stick with Vegan Mayo and Chili Salt
• Chive and Garlic Pierogis with Brown Butter Lemon Aioli
• Veggie Empanadas with Green Goddess Dressing
• Falafel with Tahini Sauce

Stationary Items

• Assorted Heirloom Tomatoes with Olive Oils, Balsamic, and Freshly Baked Breads
• Classic Antipasto with Roasted Peppers, White Bean Salad, Eggplant Caponata, Grilled Zucchini, Assorted Olives, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Assorted Fruits
• Classic Harvest Table with a variety of local fruits, vegetables, dips, and spreads
• Guac and Chips Bar with different guacamole flavors (classic, peach habanero, sweet pea, roasted cherry tomatoes, and poblano chilis)

Our cocktail hour was filled with beautiful long farm tables and colorful, flavorful bites that told a story of our love, life, and favorite foods! The Philly Mushroom Cheesesteak was a nod to us living in Philadelphia, while the Elote Ribs on a Stick paid tribute to the classic snack at a county fair, which is where we first met. Even the stationary items were specifically chosen to reflect what we love most – guacamole was one of the only foods my husband requested, so our chef made a whole assortment of guacamole bar options! The empanadas were an absolute HIT – we heard so many people raving about them!

Dinner Menu

• Fresh Summer Pasta with Vegetables (grilled corn, zucchini, blistered cherry tomatoes, summer herbs, and crispy garlic)
• Mac N’ Cheese with Cavatappi Pasta, Vegan Cheese Sauce, Crunchy Bread Topping, and Crispy Garlic and Shallots
• Eggplant Cutlets with Fresh Herbs, Crispy Capers, San Marzano Tomato Sauce, and Lemon Wedges (a gluten-free option)
• Shepherd’s Pie with Lentil Filling, Roasted Vegetables, Classic Potato Topping, and Fresh Herbs
• Summer Bean and Potato Stir Fry with Green Beans, Snow Peas, Snap Peas, and Black Garlic Sauce

For dinner, we wanted a family-style setup that made the event feel warm, interactive, and a bit more intimate. This option allowed us to minimize the need for menus at each place setting and avoided wasting time taking meal orders for each guest! We opted for a few menus per table to pass around, which saved on unnecessary paper waste, as well.

The Mac N’ Cheese, my all-time favorite food, was a hit with its crunchy bread topping, and Shawn loves anything drenched in marinara, so the Eggplant Cutlets and mashed potatoes in the Sheperd’s Pie were nods to his favorite foods! The Eggplant option was also gluten-free, and was a fan favorite amongst our guests whether they were gluten-free or not!

Dessert

• Wedding Cake with Lemon Raspberry 
• Assorted Cookies (chocolate chip, oatmeal, chocolate chunk, and peanut butter)
• Fresh Fried Zeppoles
• Coffee Station with Regular and Decaf Coffee, Tea, and Plant-Based Milks

Dessert was equally as exciting, since I have such a sweet tooth. We had a beautiful Lemon Raspberry Cake, baked by the venue owner’s mom, who created a vegan version of her classic wedding cake just for us! It was her first time creating a vegan cake, and it went FAST. So special that this family-run venue enlists the help of all family members to create such a memorable experience. And of course, we had to have Fresh Fried Zeppoles, another selection inspired by the county fair where we met!

Late Night Snack

• Taco Bell Burritos (bean, rice, and potatoes)
• Vegan Butter Popcorn Bags

We knew we wanted some fun late-night snacks that didn’t feel typical! Taco Bell is one of our absolute favorites, so of course, we had 200 Taco Bell burritos delivered to close out the night. We wanted something easy for guests to take with them on the shuttle back to the hotel, so we packaged up individual bags of vegan butter popcorn courtesy of Garrett’s Popcorn for everyone to take home. It was such a fun way to personalize the end of the evening with food that we love!

The Weekend Festivities

The wedding festivities stretched across the entire weekend. We started with a welcome party at a local cidery, Pennings Cidery, featuring a vegan taco bar and late-night pizza! Our guests enjoyed a laidback event with plenty of ciders to go around!

We ended with a beautiful Sunday brunch with bagels, local cream cheese, breakfast potatoes, fresh melon, a coffee cart from Dolce & Gelato, and vegan donuts from Vegan Pastry Lab. It was truly an incredible three days of celebration and delicious vegan eats!

We both picked our favorite donuts to display – rainbow sprinkles for me and Boston Creams for Shawn!

Oatmilk lattes were a HIT from this adorable coffee cart!

Overall, we were so appreciative of the 200+ guests who were completely open to the idea of embracing the food we chose. We didn’t want to hit them over the head with the idea of veganism, we just wanted great food that reflected what we value. In the end, everyone enjoyed the variety and delicious choices!

Honestly, we were anticipating and mentally preparing ourselves for frustrating comments about the vegan menu for months leading up to the big day. To our surprise, everyone raved about the food and seemed to be 100% okay with skipping meat and dairy for a few hours! Thankfully, if they made any snide remarks, they said it behind our backs so it didn’t ruin our day! 😜

Reflecting on our vegan wedding menu, I feel extremely proud of how we executed the food situation and stuck to our values when it came to celebrating our love. It was an experience filled with so much happiness, amazing food, and memories to last a lifetime!

If you loved this vegan wedding menu post, feel free to dive into another vegan wedding planning post all about your vegan wedding attire here!

Planning a vegan wedding? I’m your girl! Please reach out here so we can start planning your beautiful vegan wedding day!