Shabbat Kallah and Aufruf
We decided to have the aufruf at Mincha followed by a light seudah shlishit. When sponsoring the seudah shlishit we requested that the food be vegan. We do not remember what was served but I am willing to bet it involved hummus!
Meanwhile, at the Shabbat Kallah (which extended late into the evening), we had a great deal of food including pita, pita chips, hummus, a variety of deli salads (i.e., cabbage salad, cucumber salad, Israeli salad, three bean salad, black bean salad, beet salad, chickpea salad, and pasta salad), pickles, olives, pickled vegetables, fruit salad, Turkish delights, halvah, pareve chocolate covered pretzels, and punch. I ordered these items from our local kosher grocery store and deli. We had additional food brought by friends as well, including baked ziti with vegan cheese.
I served these items on elegant paper dinnerware with wooden forks over a beautiful white table cloth and blush pink overlay. I served the Turkish delights and other sweets in my grandmother's relish/candy/nut dish. This was very special because I also used this dish to serve dinner to my husband during our first date which was a homecooked meal (Moroccan tagine with homemade bread, Israeli salad, olives, and more) on the rooftop of my apartment complex.
Kabbalat Panim
At the Kabbalat Panims that I have been to, there were usually tables with catering staff who would dish out elaborate and impressive foods such as tacos or Asian noodle dishes. Meanwhile, there were also staff wandering around handing out hors d'oeuvres. If I had decided to go that route, we could have easily veganized these menus, especially the Asian noodle bar and Mexican themed ones I have enjoyed at other weddings.
Due to my medical conditions, it was most practical to marry within a mile of my own home at our local civic center which happens to be very elegant. This means that we didn't go with one of the venues that can most easily work with a large, kosher catering operation. I also wanted to keep the budget fairly low and the wedding very "homegrown" and simple; I do come from Carroll County, after all! So here is what we did instead, which for me was very heartfelt and meaningful:
For the Kabbalat Panim we went with the Seven Species of Israel as our theme. I created a lovely sign that showed the relevant Torah verses and explained which food items on the table corresponded to each species. For wheat, we had pretzels. For barley and figs, we had Fig Newmans (the wheat-free version is made with barley). For olives, we had olives. For dates, we had beautiful organic Medjool dates. For grapes, we had organic raisins (from California, like the groom!). For pomegranate, we had pomegranate juice. We also served sweet tea, lemonade, and various flavors of La Croix.
Sign describing the Seven Species, and a picture of a section of the snack table.
We placed the items in elegant sectional plates with beautiful mini tongs that I toveled and which we could use for future Shabbos meals etc. We also set out customized cocktail napkins, cups, and cocktail plates with miniature forks. I provided foodservice gloves to the members of the wedding party who assembled this table. (We also provided ample hand sanitizer and a selection of masks in various colors for guests who would want them.)
We received more compliments on this approach than I had anticipated! At first I was worried that guests would be annoyed that we didn't go with the fancier, higher budget approach of having elaborate catering with warm food served by professionals. Instead, we received compliments on the snack table, particularly the fig and barley cookies (Fig Newmans). I personally enjoyed keeping a Torah-based theme which helped me feel connected to Hashem and contributed to the holiness of the day. This is one decision that I really feel expressed our values and lifestyle.
Reception Meal
We decided to have the well-loved local kosher pizza place, Ben Yehuda's, cater our wedding. A few factors led to this decision, including the desire to have a family-friendly wedding where kids would be happy, and the simple fact that most human beings seem to enjoy (and get excited about) pizza. We figured that if we gave guests "free pizza" they would be happy. We ourselves also love pizza, so it was an easy choice. Our local pizza place uses Daiya vegan cheese upon request.
For our menu, we ordered a variety of vegan pizzas, a couple of gluten-free pizzas for our gluten-free guests, regular salad with Italian dressing, Israeli salad, and a pasta bar which allowed guests to top their pasta with sauce and vegan cheese. We also had a variety of beverages available for guests. Sparkling grape juice was placed on each table.
I decided to order our own dinnerware since I found a good deal on Amazon at the time. I also ordered a beautiful handwashing cup and basin and towel for the handwashing station near the buffet.
I found working with Ben Yehuda's to be delightful, and they were extremely knowledgeable about catering. They were able to estimate how much pizza and salad we should order, and even made recommendations for what types of salad and pizza in what ratios we should serve based on their experience of how people behave in large gatherings. The food was delicious, and we even received compliments on the salads.
We ordered Compassionate Choices booklets from Vegan Outreach to place on the reception tables along with our custom benchers. Before we even met, we had each done leafleting with Vegan Outreach booklets in the past, and we thought that it would be a nice touch and expression of our shared values which brought us together as a couple. I found it to be very romantic to have these at our wedding given that it is something we had in common even before we met.
Wedding Cake
Many years ago I was visiting my parents in Concord, NC and went to Target to gather some kosher food for my stay. While foraging in the bakery section, I noticed the most beautiful cupcakes and was shocked to see that they were vegan with a reliable hechsher. That was how I was first introduced to Rubicon Bakers. Soon I was finding them everywhere, including our local Whole Foods. It ended up being far more affordable than a wedding cake to just do a bulk order of Rubicon cupcakes from Sprouts Farmers Market in Burtonsville, MD (whose staff were amazing, and I cannot thank them enough). We ordered the vegan lemon raspberry and vegan vanilla cupcakes, and they were delicious. We placed the cupcakes on beautiful cupcake towers. For our gluten-free guests, we served MadeGood rice crispy squares in vanilla and strawberry. We found beautiful dessert plates on Amazon.
