The Non-Dairy Queen

Friday, June 12, 2009

Surviving Wedding Food

(pictured: me, Whitney (the Princess), Tara and Mackenzie)

So, I have been missing lately because we have been gone and before that because we were getting ready to go to Virginia for my little sister's wedding. It was a beautiful service and she was definitely the most beautiful Princess!

In the process of this wedding and others that I have gone to recently, I have discovered how accommodating people can be for guests with food restrictions. I am one of those people that gets freaked out by the prospect of others picking out my food because you never know if the person that is picking out the menu for you, gets it. Well, I went to a wedding in February for a couple that I have had the discussion with in passing about my issues with dairy. They had a slot on the card for a vegetarian meal, but normally that means cheese! So, as usual, I packed what my husband calls "hobo snacks" in the car and off we went. Little did I know, the bride was more than prepared for my meal restrictions and made a point to let the caterer know what my restrictions were. They made a salad for me that did not have cheese and my meal was a wonderful vegetable medley over angel hair pasta. I was so thankful! Now for my sister's wedding, I had to go to two functions (the rehearsal dinner and the reception) that required some planning for me. Both were handled so well and I was extremely happy with both meals! The rehearsal dinner was a delicious plate of sauteed peppers and onions with a grilled portabello mushroom and oven roasted fingerling potatoes. The reception was a salad without the cheese and an Asian stir fry with black sesame seeds over rice noodles. I was not the only one at the reception that required a special meal either. My grandmother, who has celiac, had the Asian meal. We also have a friend of the family that is allergic to egg whites, nuts, dairy and I think something else, so he had a special meal as well. I have discovered through all of this that if you are going to a special event, you should let the person coordinating it know your dietary restrictions. They have invited you there because they want to share the event with you and they will help you out when it comes to the menu!

A note on the "hobo snacks"...I always pack an emergency snack bag of dry cereal, apples and yes, bread. These are things that I keep on hand when I travel or go to events that I am never sure if I will be able to eat what is there. I know this seems weird to some people, but I am a grouchy hungry person and it is better for me to duck out for a few minutes and get my snack on than to be so hungry that I can't enjoy the place I am at! I know I am like a child, but I have learned to come prepared!

This is a shot of the illustrator and myself at the reception. He happened to get a tie that matched the sash I wore with my bridesmaid's dress. That was completely luck of the draw, since we all had different colors of green that were given to us the day of the wedding! Our 14 year wedding anniversary was this past Wednesday and it has, by far, been the best 14 years of my life...I can't wait to see what the next 14 years brings us!

Labels: holidays

posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 9:23 AM

4 Comments:

At June 12, 2009 at 10:53 AM, LizNoVeggieGirl said…

Love the "hobo snacks" :-D

Beautiful photos!
At June 12, 2009 at 12:48 PM, Cully Hamner said…

Congrats on your anniversary. I miss seeing you guys...!
At June 12, 2009 at 8:22 PM, Alisa said…

You look beautiful! Congrats on the anniversary too!

Glad the wedding went so well, and that you got lots of yummy food. Oh so important :)
At June 15, 2009 at 9:59 AM, laura said…

Happy Anniversary! What a lovely picture of you two! This post couldn't have come at a more appropriate time as I'm stressing out over having to find food in Charlotte this weekend! I too am a fan of the "hobo snacks", but sometimes you need a real meal too! :) Looking forward to seeing you and Tony!