Planning a wedding is stressful, fun, and exciting. One of the biggest parts of planning a wedding is the menu. For most guests, if you get the food spot on, they will talk about how great your wedding is for years to come. You must consider your guests dietary requirements, including those who are vegetarian, vegan, or coeliac. If you, or enough of your guests are gluten-free, should you consider offering a gluten-free wedding menu?
Gluten free wedding options
There are some different choices you can make, depending on whether you are gluten-free or some of your guests are:
A gluten-free wedding
One option is to have a fully gluten-free menu for everyone at the wedding. No matter the size of the guest list, choosing to have no gluten on the food menu at all takes away the pressure and the worry, and ensures that there is consistency across the menu. It also ensures that there is no cross contamination between foods containing gluten and the gluten-free dishes on the menu.
A mixed menu
Another option is to have a standard menu but to speak to your caterer about the dietary requirements of your guests. Ensure you ask your guests to specify these clearly when they RSVP to your invitation, building in enough time to notify the caterer of any allergies or specific needs such as vegan, vegetarian and gluten free.
Make sure you understand what the leadtime is for them to have this information so that you plan in enough time to gather this information from your guests.
Have an idea before trying samples
When you go to see your caterer, have an idea of what gluten-free ingredients and options you want, and that way there is time to sample wedding menu items during the tasting.
Choose naturally gluten-free dishes
Adding naturally gluten-free dishes to your wedding menu keeps things simple and ensures that there is something for everyone. Consider fresh local produce, vegetables, rice, meat, potatoes, and fish. Add gluten-free desserts too. You do need to be careful if you are choosing a buffet style wedding menu, rather than set menus, as there is a danger of cross-contamination.
What about the wedding cake?
Gluten-free cakes are delicious. If you want to serve the same cake to all your wedding guests, serve gluten-free cake and we are sure that no-one will notice the difference. If you have some gluten-free guests but you are not coeliac, you can save the actual show-stopping wedding cake just for you and your partner and serve gluten-free cakes to the guests.
When you are planning a wedding, you have many different things to consider in making sure everything goes off without any problems. Including a gluten free option as part of your wedding menu is a good way to show your guests that you care for them, as even though your wedding is your special day, it is a much better experience if every single guest is having a great time too!
It is easier than ever before to switch to gluten free products and to live a gluten-free life. If you have been diagnosed with coeliac diseaseand are looking for help in changing your diet, gluten-free foods are available on prescription in some areas, giving you access to some of the best gluten-free ingredients and products that show you what is possible in terms of delicious food that doesn’t contain gluten.
