I Made My Vegan Wedding Dreams Come True – You Can, Too

By Ashley Frohnert, Senior Director of Social Media

After my best friend and partner, Tony Safran, proposed, the only thing I was almost as excited about as spending our lives together was wowing our friends and family with an all-vegan soirée – well, actually, two! We hosted celebrations in Los Angeles and in my hometown, Pittsburgh, that had guests talking long after the sendoff. Here’s how we made our wedding a joyful and delicious reflection of our deep feelings for other species – and how you can, too.

The Dress That Was a Cut Above the Rest

Finding the dress is a magical moment for every bride. I knew what I didn’t want: silk from boiled silkworms or feathers plucked from gentle birds. I looked at dreamy dresses in lace, chiffon, crepe, tulle, cotton sateen, satin, and beads and baubles before falling for a stunning pointelle from BHLDN. A fun pair of lavender vegan leather heels completed my look – also a tough decision as DSW, David’s Bridal, Cult of Coquette, and others offer many different cruelty-free styles. Ever the gracious groom, Tony sported an animal-friendly look with classic dark brown oxfords from MooShoes, a coordinating leather-free belt, and a burgundy wool-free suit from ASOS. (PETA’s investigations into shearing sheds will turn anyone off of wool.)

Big Day Beauty Without Ugly Animal Testing

A cruelty-free glow is so easy. PETA’s Ultimate Cruelty-Free List includes over 6,100 companies, and I found that industry professionals are used to requests for kind cosmetics. Many lash brands have dropped fur after talks with PETA, too.

The Fare to Remember

We had two rules: The food must be amazingly good, and there must be tacos! Many caterers either offered vegan menus or were willing to work with us to create one, and several of our favorite restaurants provided catering, too. In LA, we selected Todo Verde and its jackfruit tacos with cashew crema, oyster mushrooms en mole, semilla salad with fresh strawberries, and coctél de oyster mushrooms. Back home in PA, Ladyfingers Catering served more tacos with creative veggie sides and vegan mac ’n’ cheese.

For showstopping vegan cakes (even traditional bakeries are getting in on the action), we picked a sumptuous pink velvet with icing succulents from Baby Love Sweetery and a crème de violette topped with real succulents from The Butterwood Bake Consortium. One guest commented, “That was the best cake I’ve ever had!”

A Toast to Compassion

We raised our glasses with beers from two of our favorite Pennsylvania breweries, Iron City Brewing Company and Yuengling, which don’t filter their brews with isinglass derived from fish bladders, and following the LA ceremony, we had a champagne hour with vegan bubbly and cheese. Many beer, wine, and liquor makers – like Sutter Home, Moët & Chandon, Absolut, and Maker’s Mark – use animal-free processing. Barnivore.com has a database of more than 61,000 brands.

Other Special Touches … and a Humane Honeymoon

To personalize our nuptials, Tony and I included a traditional Pittsburgh cookie table filled with homemade egg- and dairy-free treats, along with recipes, as favors. And like many couples, we included our rescued dogs in the ceremony. Two of our friends at PETA registered for donations to PETA’s low and no-cost spay/neuter program. For the fabulous finale, we honeymooned in Italy and Paris, where we found vegan food galore. In Tuscany, we went on a wine tour that offered vegan meats and cheeses, and in Paris we attended a vegan festival. From choosing beeswax-free candles to saying “no” to cruel butterfly and dove releases and horse-drawn carriages, there are always meaningful ways to incorporate your appreciation for animals into any celebration.