Ask the Expert: Do We Have to Serve a Gluten-Free Option at Our Wedding?

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Q: I know that it’s standard practice to offer a vegetarian option for the dinner at our wedding, but these days, I feel like everyone is doing the gluten-free thing—including, we’re assuming, some of our guests. (Whether they’re all doing it for allergy reasons or because it’s a fad is another story.) Must we now offer a gluten-free option, too?

When working with your caterer to create the menu for your wedding, it’s important to accommodate any food sensitivities and dietary restrictions that your guests may have, says Shelley Nohowel, director of event planning at Jeffrey Miller Catering. Whether one of your bridesmaids eats gluten-free or your brother-in-law has a nut allergy, your menu should offer options that all of your guests can enjoy.

“Oftentimes at weddings we serve a variety of entrees in order to accommodate special diets,” says Nohowel. Among the specialty dishes they’re serving up is a black bean cake paired with three-citrus salsa and a sauté of three greens which is vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free. Having your caterer create a dish that tackles multiple dietary issues at once, like JAM Catering’s black bean cake, is an easy way to accommodate everyone without the menu getting out of control.

Nohowel also notes that it’s equally important that guests notify the couple of any food allergies or restrictions well before the wedding so that the caterer is prepared to accommodate them on the Big Day.

For more Ask the Expert questions, go here. 

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