We were looking for a casual menu that wouldn’t break the bank, but we have all the menu issues of the modern ages…
Vegans, vegetarians, hard-core meat eaters, comfort food-lovers, tomato allergy, glutflaen allergy, dairy allergy, nut allergy, and even a garlic allergy. I also have health issues that flare up from time to time so avoiding some of the above food could be important for me, too.
When you have foods you have to avoid, it can be a huge pain to eat at a large function. Even when people try to make things for us “picky eaters,” they often fail. And sometimes it's disaster… There’s a meat version and veggie/gluten-free version, but it's labelled wrong, and a meat-eater with celiac ends up spending the epic dance party on the toilet.
Now, my wedding menu is not fancy, and this isn’t for everyone, but again I’m looking for easy, as all-encompassing as possible, and budget-friendly. Here’s what we’re serving up:
BBQ chicken
Baked beans (no pork in this version)
Mac and cheese casserole
Baked potatoes (add your own sour cream, green onions, cheese or bacon)
Roasted veggies
Greek Salad
Another salad (not sure exactly what yet but it won’t have any cheese or tomatoes)
Buns
Veggie platter
Pickles
Yes, everyone with a restriction will have a couple things to avoid. And I’m sure some people would want more meat options or more vegetable protein options, which is fair. But the hard-core meat-eaters will just have to be happy with chicken and loaded-up-on-bacon baked potatoes. The vegans will have to skip the chicken, mac and cheese, and Greek salad. But then they still have beans, roasted vegetables, potatoes, salad, buns, and veggies. (Which, If I am remembering correctly from my time as a vegan, is actually not that bad.)
- Vegetarians: Only need skip the chicken.
- Gluten-free: No mac and cheese or buns.
- Tomato-free: No beans or Greek salad.
- Dairy-free: No mac and cheese or Greek salad.
- Can’t have garlic: No Greek salad for you.
- No nuts: No problem!
My fiancé still gets his favorite — anything with cheese on it. I still get my favorite — Greek salad. And everyone (including any picky-eating children) will have something tasty to nosh on for a reasonable price.
We love hearing about special-needs wedding menus — share yours in the comments!
