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Weddings and civil ceremonies can be some of the most meaningful events in people’s lives. For some, they are public celebrations of their most important adult relationship. For others, they are simply a fun party with all their favorite family and friends in attendance.
With the number of people moving away from animal products on the rise, it’s no wonder that so many people choose to have a plant-based or fully vegan wedding. Here are five couples’ accounts of planning and celebrating vegan weddings.
Read more: New Research Highlights Growing Plant-Based Shift In The UK
The 5 most spectacular vegan weddings
Klaus and Kamal
Klaus is a sustainability advocate and public speaker, as well as the founder and CEO of Plant Based News (PBN). He and Kamal, a finance lawyer, met through mutual friends at an after-party for Vevolution in 2019, where they stayed out partying until past 4am.
Klaus and Kamal got married two years later at Euridge Manor, a grand Georgian house located right on the edge of the Cotswolds, in southwest England. The couple initially had an intimate civil ceremony with just their immediate families present, but decided to celebrate again with a larger party once the UK’s lockdown restrictions lifted a few months later.
Everything at Klaus and Kamal’s wedding was vegan, including the stationary, decor, and sustainable, custom-made wedding outfits created by celebrated Indian designer Anita Dongre. Middlesex-based S&K Foods provided an Indian feast in Euridge Manor’s grand ballroom, and the after-party included Booja Booja ice cream and Humbledough bakery carts.
“The caterers did a phenomenal job and I’m so grateful that all our suppliers understood our vision,” said Klaus. “With my work, sustainability is an important mission for me that goes beyond just work. Our wedding was a real example of that.”
Klaus said he was pleased that he and Kamal could celebrate with a traditional Indian wedding that also emphasized gender equality and the couple’s shared feminist values. The ceremony itself was conducted by the UK’s first female Hindu/Jain priest, Chanda Vyas.
“I couldn’t have wished for a better day – and I’m proud that we were able to put on such a fun party without compromising on our values,” continued Klaus. “Everyone commented on how delicious the food was and the many options we had throughout the day.”
Holly and Jason
Holly and Jason first met through mutual friends in 2011, and have been together ever since. The couple live in the southwest of the UK with their two cats and rescue dog, Michael. (Michael also attended Holly and Jason’s wedding, where he briefly became the center of attention.)
Holly – who is also known by her artist moniker HollyMae – is an illustrator and surface pattern designer with a day job as a program and business development manager for a medieval friary. Meanwhile, Jason plays in bands, writes music, and works as a content and community manager. “We are both creative people,” Holly told PBN.
“Jason and I have both been vegan for a number of years and it was important to us that our wedding reflected our values,” continued Holly. “It was met with some apprehension from guests, with Jason being of Zimbabwean heritage where meat is a large part of the diet. We wanted to prove that vegan food can be indulgent and delicious, and we couldn’t bear the thought of any animal suffering being funded by our decision to hold an event.”
‘I feel like it was a success!’
The couple chose a venue with approved caterers and picked several vegan canapés, including faux chicken, mushroom, and pate, and a few additional small plates. The main wedding breakfast was a sit-down meal with seasonal, locally available ingredients. For the evening, they opted for vegan bunny chow – a half loaf of bread filled with guests’ choice of curry and sundries – and combined a centerpiece wedding cake with several other cakes, all of which were vegan.
“The guests tucked into it all and many of our meat eater attendees commented on the food,” said Holly. “So I feel like it was a success!”
However, the sustainable, curated, and plant-based theme also went beyond food. Holly opted for a cruelty-free makeup artist, a vegan, aerosol-free hairstylist, and non-traditional wedding shoes, while Jason chose footwear – a pair of vegan Doc Martens – that he has worn many times since. The bridesmaids all picked their own dresses from Vinted, and the couple provided guests with eco-friendly, confetti-style dried flowers that fed the local wildlife.
For the wedding favors, each guest received a small card with a personal note from Jason and a hand-drawn illustration from Holly. “I hoped that they would be more likely to hang onto them with them being so personalized, again reducing any single-use/throw-away items that would negatively impact the planet,” she said.
Rory and Issy
Rory and Issy met at a horse racing protest outside the Grand National around 11 years ago. They started out as “protest buddies” before becoming colleagues, then friends, and then romantic partners. Issy told PBN that they are both ethical vegans, and live a flight-free and substance-free lifestyle. (Which, Issy said, makes them “a bundle of laughs.”) The couple live in the Peak District and are currently planning their vegan wedding for September of this year.
Early in their relationship, Rory and Issy both worked together as campaigners at the UK-based vegan charity Viva! Rory went on to found This Is Not a Game Co – best known for Plants Against Veganity and the Vegan Dictionary – and Issy now works at a theatre.
When they first began planning their ideal wedding, the couple “considered everything,” including eloping, church weddings, registry offices, and more. However, Issy said that “none of it really fit” their situation and lifestyle. The couple wanted to celebrate in a way that was budget-friendly, non-traditional, and “fit the vegan vibe,” meaning no farm-based venues.
‘Vegans are always happy to cook’
Issy said that after plenty of research, the couple has decided to celebrate their wedding in their own home and garden with a vegan staple: a buffet-style potluck. Rory’s Mum will supply main dishes like lentil and vegan mince lasagnas, plant-based pizzas, and finger sandwiches, while guests can bring whatever they like – providing it is suitable for vegans.
The couple’s RSVPs also include information about what an entirely vegan wedding involves – including no leather shoes, wool, or silk – and Issy said that they plan to have “responsible vegans in charge of the food” to make sure all of the offerings are 100 percent plant-based.
“The benefit of a vegan potluck is that vegans are always happy to cook and show off their favorite vegan meals, and we can showcase a variety of different cuisines, dishes, and flavor palettes to the nonvegans who may have wildly different preferences,” explained Issy. “So there should be something for everyone!”
Kelly and Kyle
Kelly and Kyle have been ethical vegans for 15 years and both work within the nonprofit space. Kyle currently works for Vegan Grants and also runs his own business helping nonprofits leverage AI, while Kelly works with Sea Shepherd Australia and Animals Australia.
The couple decided early on that their wedding should be “an extension” of their vegan belief system, and Kelly told PBN that having a vegan wedding was “non-negotiable” for them.
“Our wedding was super small, just our daughter and a couple of close friends as witnesses, plus our dogs, but we still made sure everything from fashion to food was vegan,” said Kelly. “We wanted our special day to be a celebration of love, not just between us, but for the animals too.”
A vegan wedding was ‘non-negotiable’ for Kelly and Kyle
The couple are based in Victoria, Australia, and first met during a tour of Edgar’s Mission, a farmed animal sanctuary where Kyle worked at the time. When they met, Kelly was working at another sanctuary, but in 2017 she joined the Edgar’s team alongside Kyle. “That’s when we really got to know each other, fell in love, and the rest is history,” said Kelly.
They had their wedding ceremony at Mount Macedon, a dormant volcano above a small town of the same name. After the ceremony, they moved on to Edgar’s Mission for photographs and dinner – a plant-based grazing table and vegan pizzas from Melbourne’s Red Sparrow – alongside the animal friends they made during their time working at the sanctuary.
Kelly and Kyle now have their own property where they have been able to adopt several animals themselves. Kelly is also a photographer and has published a free photo guide titled 10 Essential Tips For Mastering Animal Photography, which is available from her website.
Rohini and Siddhant
Rohini, a nutritionist and the co-author of Living PCOS Free, married Siddhant in Hatfield, England. The pair met in Mumbai, on India’s west coast, at a Holi party. (Widely known as the Festival of Colours, a springtime Hindu celebration that famously features paint-throwing and dancing.)
The couple’s wedding took place at Hatfield House, an estate that has featured in high-profile films like 2018’s The Favourite and the TV show Bridgerton. Rohini told PBN that the couple’s celebration combined the vibrancy and joy of an Indian wedding with the intimacy of an English wedding, and included an eco-conscious aesthetic throughout the food, outfits, and decor.
Rohini and Siddhant opted for potted flowers grown by the bride’s mother in place of cut bouquets, which the guests took home after the wedding. They also used borrowed jewelry for good luck, and raised nearly USD $7,000 for Wildlife SOS and Educate Girls instead of more traditional wedding gifts. The Indian charities protect entertainment animals – including elephants abused in the wedding industry – and educate girls and women, respectively.
‘The food was a huge success’
“Creating a completely vegan celebration was incredibly important,” said Rohini. “It required a lot of effort but it was worth it – from sourcing silk-free Indian wedding fabrics for our outfits to finding vegan and gluten-free options for a guest with an allergy.”
Rohini told PBN that she worked closely with the wedding caterers to develop a menu that would satisfy all 180 guests throughout the 14-hour-long celebration. Dishes included crispy okra fries, sweet potato chaat, green moong dal, Thai green curry, Tofu Pad Thai, green mango salad, stewed jackfruit, and a coconut-infused sweet potato and chickpea curry.
Desserts included kheer rice pudding with cardamom, pistachios, and saffron, Booja Booja truffles, Motichoor Laddoo (sweetened, fried gram flour pearls), and fruity sorbet. The couple also chose a selection of vegan wedding cakes, including zucchini and lemon, blueberry and elderflower, carrot cake, chocolate, and Victoria sponge, all made with vegan, olive oil-based buttercream.
“The food was a huge success – even among our most skeptical friends who had never eaten a fully vegan meal before, let alone for a whole weekend,” said Rohini. “Almost six years on from the wedding, I have several friends who are following a more plant-based diet since, including my best friend and her sister who both went vegan inspired by the event. Seeing everyone enjoying the food and drinks made all the planning worthwhile.”
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