TOP TEN TIPS FOR PLANNING VEGAN ECO WEDDINGS FROM STANFORD INN ECO RESORT
Plant based dining is now 2018’s top food trend, according to new Baum + Whiteman study. Millennials, Gen X, Gen Y seek vegan wedding resources.
Searches for vegan food and resources have increased more than 93% over the past year, according to Google Trends. Demand for plant-based weddings has also increased dramatically, but how do couples start planning? What are the actions, opportunities and messages to keep friends, families and guests in perfect harmony? For more than 20 years, Stanford Inn Eco Resort has been the vegan and green wedding destination for couples from around the world. The Inn’s team is knowledge and their experience make the Inn a top choice for couples looking to unite good taste, sustainability and a beautiful coastal setting.
Here are ten insider tips for planning the perfect vegan wedding:
ONE: Be ‘Vegan Wedding’ Confident. Share that the vegan wedding is your choice and know that family & guests will support you and love it. “Couples unite often sharing their sustainable, plant-based lifestyle. Sometimes they are very specific that they want to live compassionately,” says Jeff Stanford, Co-founder of the Stanford Inn Eco-Resort. “Weddings are an opportunity for couples to share their bond and passions. Weddings also about bring together their guests who may be from all walks of life, many who are meeting for the first time. Couples should focus on the celebration of wedding, of family, and friends. Emphasizing the vegan aspect can be distracting, even though it may be a defining aspect of the couple. In our years of experience, families and guests are very supportive, and very rarely have we heard wedding guests complain that there is no meat. Great food and a beautiful wedding will inspire everyone.”
TWO: Get on the same vegan page. “Simple or complex, make sure you and your partner are on the same page with the cuisine and alcohol,” says Sid Garza-Hillman, Stanford Inn’s Wellness Programs and Events Director. “Their wedding presents a couple an opportunity to frame what’s important to them and to do so in a way that inspires them and their guests. We work with them to create a menu that will satisfy their guests who are not plant based. This ensures a super fun, relatively low stress celebration. And, many times, one of the couple is not vegan and agrees to select a vegan venue to support their partner.”
THREE: Guide your guests. “The term “vegan” means zero animal products and that includes clothing,” says Stanford. “For some or even most of the guests, this may be their first experience with anything vegan and it is best not to confront them with their choices, not just food choices but clothing as well. Simply begin with the food! The purpose of a wedding is to celebrate the uniting of two people and often their family and friends. It isn’t about advocacy.”
FOUR: Macro bowls are out; good taste & gourmet plant-based cuisine are in! “For our weddings (and in our restaurant) we create an elegant, delicious menu using fresh, plant-based ingredients, sourced locally wherever possible, and prepared especially for guests,” says Garza-Hillman.
Healthy whole foods are essential. Guests enjoy our Sea-Palm Strudel, handmade tamales and even our Shitake Bacon (bacon-free, of course!). Modern vegan dining is a tasty, sensory experience that makes you and others look and feel great. This compassionate energy translates perfectly at weddings.”
FIVE: Experience counts. “No matter where they go for their vegan wedding, we encourage couples to taste test and discuss the experience that their venue will provide,” says Stanford. “We often hear stories of venues and caterers promising vegan foods, but then putting out a tired relish tray and bread made with milk and or eggs. A good experience starts with vegan cooking knowledge, so be sure to ask questions and get references.”
SIX: Dates, planning, planning and planning. “We provide all couples with a simple questionnaire that helps them envision the entire event ahead of time,” says Garza-Hillman. “The number of resorts/destinations that are dedicated to vegan weddings are very rare, so couples should plan dates well in advance. For outdoor and breathtaking coastal experiences, weather can be a factor, depending on the time of year.”
SEVEN: Keep them busy. “We believe this tip is the most important,” emphasizes Stanford. “Many attending a wedding may not know one another. The wedding may be the only time that they will be together, and we encourage the wedding couple to provide opportunities for their guests to hangout, to meet and talk, participate in a game or some fun activity. Simply put, a couple’s wedding is a major social experience – and often attendees feel left out, if not a member of the wedding party. We encourage activities such as canoeing or kayaking, group yoga classes, cooking classes, nature hikes – scheduled in such a way as to prevent the marrying couple from worrying about deadlines. Our Inn is unique because we offer our Catch a Canoe & BicyclesToo where groups can take a bike ride or outrigger canoe up the Big River. We also offer guided hikes and trail runs right from our grounds. Our large indoor swimming pool, hot tub, workout room, yoga and spa give families and guests plenty of options as well.”
“Wedding day often means waiting around for families and guests,” Stanford continues. “Waiting for the couple to get dressed and then set up for photos can make guests antsy. We recommend having light appetizers, beverages, and even special ‘signature’ cocktails available during the post-ceremony photography.”
EIGHT: Sizetastic “Vegan weddings can be any size of course, but vegan destinations are often more intimate,” says Hillman. “At the Inn, we do our best with up to approximately 50 guests, and this works on many levels for budgets, travel, lodging and the food experience. Unlike traditional fast-turn wedding banquets, the steps to source ingredients, prepare dishes, and serve the couple and their guests is a source of joy. We find that smaller is often better.”
NINE: Elopements and Officiating the right way “Many vegan ceremonies are elopements, and that works great. We strongly recommend finding the right person to officiate vegan weddings,” says Stanford. “The couple will remember the ceremony and the officiant and you want this person to honor your wedding and respect all faiths of the participants. As an ordained minister, I offer this service at the Inn, but we welcome anyone who the couple chooses to officiate.”
TEN: Finally, keep it going “We have found it helpful to have resources available for wedding guests who have questions about the menu, ingredients and implications regarding health and wellness,” says Hillman. “You don’t have to have it out, but having an explanation of why one has chosen a vegan lifestyle available is a great idea. A couple may want to provide information regarding the health sustaining benefits of the food used to create the wedding banquet.”
About the Stanford Inn by the Sea:
Mendocino Village’s most celebrated lodge, the four-diamond Stanford Inn, is an eco-haven that embodies the best of the rugged Mendocino Coast. Nestled on a hillside overlooking Mendocino Bay, the 41-room Inn attends to every detail for its guests (and pets!) from wood-burning fireplaces to the sumptuous organic breakfasts provided daily. Programs like Creative Journey Package and cooking classes build lifelong skills. The Inn’s Mendocino Center for Living Well provides a variety of life-enhancing experiences, such as yoga, tai chi, body work, creative play shops, nutrition, acupuncture, consultations on Chinese Herbs as well as Ayurvedic practice. Canoeing, kayaking or mountain biking rentals are also available on-site, through the resort’s Catch a Canoe & Bicycles, Too!
About Ravens Restaurant:
Ravens Restaurant provides the signature North American diet with a vegan twist, and continuously adjusts its basic ingredients and seasonings to best suit both quality and availability depending on the season. The mission of Raven’s is to provide a healthy organic cuisine which rivals the fare in the finest Northern California restaurants.
Content provided by Stanford Inn by the Sea. To learn more, visit www.stanfordinn.com or call 707.937.5615
