Has Anyone Had A Gluten Free Wedding?

[Guest thatchickali]

I will probably get married in Texas in the next few years...but one of the main things on my mind is how do I have a good sized gluten free wedding? Who will cater the food and the cake?

I know there are gluten free dishes I could get a caterer to provide but I wouldn't want them to be handled in the caterer's kitchen. Same with the cake. Are there any companies that specialize in Gluten Free catering??

Also I just want to know about other people's experiences.

[buffettbride]

There was an article about a gluten-free wedding in the last Living Without magazine. I can't recall the details, but if you could get your hands on one, it might have some resources.

[Guest Doll]

Planning this right now....it's actually not that hard. What WILL be hard is trying to plan a wedding now with my new food allergies. Oh God....

My wedding will be gluten and "cow's milk" free. I plan on loading up on Benedryl for everything else. Technically I might be "under the influence" saying my vows, but hey, you do what you got to do!

I am having my wedding at a well known hotel where I'm told the chefs are familiar with "food allergies". My entire buffet wll be gluten-free, so that at least reduces the risk of CC among gluten-free and non gluten-free items. I might even ask them to rewash all equipment and counters first, and stress my wheat allergy. I am really sensitive, and my allergic reactions seem to be getting worse. I believe we will be the only function that day in the hotel, and we do not share a kitchen with the restaurant/lounge etc. Have your wedding in a hotel. More often than not, a decent hotel will be able to do gluten-free no problem or with less problems than a catering company. Almost all dinner dishes can be made gluten-free easily (steak, chicken, fish, roast potaoes, etc.) or with Tinkyada (i.e. stir fry).

The cake is being made by a local baker who does gluten-free cakes for customers upon request. I have to admit *I am* a little worried here, but I will meet with him again to stress the CC issue before the wedding. Most people have not had a problem with this baker, but me being so sensitive, I cannot risk it. Word of mouth or calling local bakers in the phone book is an option for you. I actually wanted to order a cake in from one of Toronto's most elite "cake designers"....she specializes in gluten-free, sugar free, etc. cakes. I would have to send it by plane though, and since it would kill our cake budget (and my fiance would kill me), I had to decide it was not worth the risk. There is a well known cake baker in New York who makes awesome cakes free of the top allergens and sugar. If I win the lottery....hehe...

Last choice is to make the cake yourself or have friends/family familiar with the gluten-free diet make it. I do not suggest this since it is harder to pull off than it sounds, but it is an option.

Lastly, make sure you tell the hotel that you have "allergies"/Celiac and need to bring in some of your own foods. I *added to our contract* before I signed that we will be needing to bring in our own gluten-free specialty cake, candy bar, and chocolate for the chocolate fountain (if the latter cannot be supplied). If you don't the hotel can actually charge you for bringing in your own food.

Feel free to PM me with any questions and congrats!

Happy wedding planning!

P.S. Don't let anyone discourage you or say it can't be done. Aside from CC issues, I absolutely REFUSE to be a bride who has to order a special meal on her big day. Umm...no. It's *my* wedding. I want to be normal for once.

[~alex~]

I have been wondering about the feasibility of this too. The more I think about it, the more I just want to elope. I realize that doesn't really help you! I've never had my heart set on the whole big wedding thing so it will probably be a small intimate affair which will probably make things easier. I wish I could just wake up one day and be married and not have to go though the stress of the wedding and the worry of gluten.

It's good that you've got a few years to plan. That will give you a nice long time to gather ideas and resources.

[cyberprof]

OK, you gals have got to read Shauna's blog and read her new book that is going to be published October 12th, I believe.

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I hope all who want to have a gluten free wedding have a wonderful, glorious day sans gluten.

[JNBunnie1]

Oh, Ali, try asking this question on the Baking and Recipes forum, there's been a lot of discussions there regarding this, a lot of people have already done it!