This weekend, Paul and I went to a wedding. It was the wedding of my childhood best friend, Catherine.
Catherine has been passionate about food for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure exactly why she became a vegetarian, but from the very beginning, her vegetarianism was a fight. A fight with her dad, who always thought it was a bit silly. But after a while it just became part of who Catherine is.
But then came her wedding. And it seems like when it comes time for a wedding, sometimes we are pulled away from the things we do in our everyday life and pulled toward doing things the same way that everyone else does them. Catherine, though, is not just anyone. Catherine is a woman who I very much admire, because she is willing to stick to her convictions, even when it's hard. And that is why Catherine and Steven had a vegan wedding.
Now, I have to admit that I did use the idea of a "vegan wedding" as a joke a couple of times before we went to Texas. It got a few chuckles and laughs and quite a few puzzled faces. But once I was actually in the midst of Catherine and Steven's wedding weekend, I was really very impressed by how their whole celebration, including the food and drink, reflected their values.
It started with their rehearsal dinner, which was hosted by Steven's parents. Steven grew up in a family that did not drink alcohol as a part of their religious tradition, and for that reason they didn't include alcohol at the rehearsal dinner. Although this was jarring to some of Catherine's east coast Italian relatives, the rehearsal dinner was lovely, and the alcohol was not missed. We even had toasts just like we would have with the booze.
Then came the wedding. And the wedding reception food reflected Catherine and Steven in so many ways, beginning with the fact that it was local, sustainable, and vegan. It was also globally-themed with many foods from around the world.
At many points it would have been easier for Catherine and Steven to give in and just do things the way it was expected that they would be done, and yet they stuck to their values. And for this, I truly admire them. Their celebration of their new life together truly reflected the way they live their lives, which is a result of how they believe God has called them to live.
(By the way, the food, though vegan, was excellent - much better than most conventional wedding foods)
