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Leslie Oakey & Frank Mikisits
Schuyler, Virginia
November 8, 2003
10 Guests

Single friends tell us we give them renewed hope they will still find their own special someone. Frank and I met at a cocktail party in Washington, D.C. I wasn’t expecting to meet anyone new at this get-together, but the hostesses had recently joined a beach house time-share in Delaware, and had invited the other house members as well. Fortunately, Frank was one of the beach invitees. We hit it off instantly, and the rest makes for a short but fabulous story. We were engaged one month after our first date, and our wedding day was exactly six months after that fateful cocktail party.

Frank was not a vegan when we met, but I knew I could live with that (and eventually bring him around) because, from our first date at an Ethiopian restaurant, he was willing to order food we could share. In fact, our second date was to an elegant dinner hosted by a local vegan culinary group with a menu based on The Millennium Cookbook. So when I insisted that our wedding be cruelty-free, Frank was all for it, and even took the lead on investigating vegan wines and champagne to complement our meal.

Even with that out of the way, there was still much planning to do. We knew we wanted our day to be as stress-free as possible, so we invited just 10 guests and decided to hold the wedding at The White Pig Bed & Breakfast, a vegan Inn and pot-bellied pig sanctuary near where I grew up in Charlottesville, Va. I had never been to this B&B, but my mother had read excellent reviews, so we booked an exploratory visit over the July 4th weekend. (It was a big trip for us anyway, as it was the first time Frank and my parents met and where we announced our engagement!)

Dina, the owner of and chef at The White Pig, went out of her way to accommodate us. Though she had never held a wedding at the B&B, she happily helped us plan our perfect event. And after Frank and I shared a romantic candlelit dinner and quiet evening there, we were certain we had made the right choice of venue. A flurry of emails with Dina followed, and everything was set. Dina did admit, however, that she wasn’t the greatest wedding cake baker. Enter my mom again (amazing, since while she does understand being a vegetarian, she thinks being a vegan is a “little kooky”). She found a vegan pastry chef in Charlottesville who baked us the most delicious chocolate cake—I can’t wait to dive into the layer we are saving for our first anniversary!
All the other wedding details fell into place with just as much ease. Christine, one of the hostesses of THE cocktail party, is a civil marriage celebrant, so naturally was the only choice to perform our ceremony—especially since she was our biggest cheerleader from the beginning. My friend Kristi suggested the rings, and as soon as we saw the Cartier Love design, we agreed they were perfect. Frank and I tried them on and were in and out of the store within fifteen minutes. I wanted to keep the pig theme for our guest’s favors, so I ordered cute plush pink pigs and filled their clear plastic bellies with brightly wrapped vegan candies. For decorations, I found a local artist who specializes in personalized pumpkin carving. He did a lovely heart design with our names and wedding date. We ordered three pumpkins, which looked gorgeous, especially after dark with the glow from tea lights inside them.

Our wedding fell on a perfect fall day—sunny and crisp. After breakfast, we hiked around the property, located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge near the famed Walton’s Mountain. We spent the early afternoon visiting with the pigs, who were sunning themselves or just ambling about, and then relaxed for the rest of the day, awaiting the arrival of our guests.

Wine and hors d’oeuvres were served before the ceremony, which began around 7:30 p.m. Frank and I chose to write our own vows and incorporated a pagan altar and candle ritual. Newly married, we accompanied our guests outside to watch the lunar eclipse. We had only realized a few days before it would coincide with our wedding, but we took it as a favorable sign.

Our guests thoroughly enjoyed the sumptuous meal, which centered around the entrée of sautéed “shrimp” with risotto and pesto sauce. By the time cake and champagne were served, everyone was convinced vegan cuisine can be delicious and elegant.

The next morning we enjoyed a communal breakfast with our guests and visited the pigs a final time before heading back home to pack for our tropical honeymoon in St. Lucia. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect wedding!

Leslie & Frank’s Menu

Appetizers
Lentil Walnut Paté
Vegetable Crudités with Creamy Tofu Dip
Stuffed Mushrooms

Supper
Spinach Salad with Toasted Almonds and Cranberries with a Sweet Vinaigrette Dressing
Butternut Squash Soup
Sautéed “Shrimp” with Sweet Onion Risotto served over Pesto Sauce

Wedding Cake
Two-Tiered Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Icing
Vanilla Soy Ice Cream

Beverages
Chardonnay
Petite Syrah
Cabernet Sauvignon
Champagne
Organic Coffee
Herbal Teas