Vegan Weddings!

Candy Tolentino & Josh Black
Beverly Hills, Calif.

Guests: 75
Pricetag: $20,000
Honeymoon: Hawaii
Words of wisdom: “Unless you live in a vegan bubble, you will have skeptics at your wedding. So if you want to pull off a memorable wedding, the food had better be amazing!”

Their story: In modern-day romance, instead of boy meets girl, it’s often boy reads girl’s Facebook page, and vice versa. In Candy and Josh’s case, a mutual friend introduced them virtually, but their first face-to-face meeting was far from perfect. Josh couldn’t get past Candy’s veganism and eco-consciousness, and she found his scientific, linear, raging carnivore qualities (those are Josh’s words, by the way) a little hard to digest. Their discussions were heated, but they barely got to know each other because of their ideological differences. Eventually realizing that “everything she did and stood for was motivated by love,” Josh took a step back from his hardheadedness and realized that he actually wanted to be on the receiving end of Candy’s love. By giving up his carnivorous and analytical approach to life, he was able to open up and live with his heart. 

The wedding: Candy experienced a serious roadblock when her father—who had initially agreed to finance the entire operation—removed his support when he heard she wanted an all-vegan, eco-friendly wedding. Short on time, the couple rallied and found “mad vegan love” from many of their vendors, who donated their services in the name of compassionate and cruelty-free living. Candy and Josh managed to put together more than a wedding—it became an entire production, including a tour of LA, a bus for the wedding party to save on gas, and two cocktail hours. The couple agreed that their vows should be off-the-cuff, so when it came time to stand before the crowd, they amazed everyone—including each other—with their heartfelt outpouring of love.

The Menu

Appetizer
Carrs whole-grain crackers, rosemary rolls, Indian naan bread, (petite) chickpea hummus, sun-dried tomato-basil pesto
Grapes, green grapes, baby apples, assorted dried fruit and figs
Oven roasted squash, eggplant, zucchini, asparagus and butternut squash brushed with pesto
Heirloom tomato bruschetta
Truffled mashed potato martini
Mini vegetarian burgers with tomato, caramelized shallots and spicy aioli(non-dairy), cheddar cheese(non-dairy)
Soft brioche rolls
Rustic grilled cheese paninis
 
First Course
Butternut squash bisque
Rosemary focaccia rolls with citrus chimichurri
 
Second Course
Manicotti with roasted vegetables, vegan cheese, and artichokes in a roasted tomato sauce
 
Third Course
White asparagus and avocado salad with a ginger vinaigrette, basil, scallions, and vegan parmesan
 
Fourth Course
Gnoccetti pasta with pesto, roasted cherry tomatoes and asparagus tips
 
Intermezzo
Mango-passion fruit sorbet
 
Entrée Duet
Panko crusted tofu with braised spinach, ginger conserve, and cilantro
Vegetable medley and artichoke mashed potatoes with roasted pasilla peppers
 
Dessert
Earth Café Cheesecake

Meet all of our 2010 Vegan Wedding Couples:

Sadaf Hussain & Brandon Juhl (Mercer Island, Wash.)
Traci Medeiros & Patrick Bagan (Riverside, Calif.)
Heidi Grosskamp & Dennis Crean (Redwood Valley, Calif.)
Kathryn Fangsrud & Steven Carpenter (Guanajuato, Mexico)
Emily Shapiro & Matt Pascarella (Brooklyn, NY)
Candy Tolentino & Josh Black (Beverly Hills, Calif.)
Leslie Ramos & Jason Carmona (Austin, Texas)
Danielle Distefano & Matthew Miller (New York City, NY)

For a complete list of caterers, dressmakers, and photographers from each of this year’s wedding couples, visit our 2010 Guide to Vegan Weddings.