I Do...Not Eat Gluten: How to Survive Weddings When Gluten Free

Hello Internet!
As someone who has attended a grand total of 13 weddings, specifically 7 weddings (including my own) as a typical gluten-eating person and 6 weddings while avoiding gluten at all costs, I can safely come to the conclusion that weddings are always fun. Period. Being a gluten free wedding guest should not put a damper on organizing or celebrating a special day. There are ways to avoid that scary “Will I be able to safely eat anything here?!” feeling and still be able to jam out to Uptown Funk, as one absolutely and always should. I will preface this entire post by sharing that many of my incredibly thoughtful friends who got married after I realized I had a food allergy, told their catering companies ahead of time about their extra special guest’s dietary needs. (I know! So, SO sweet!) However, you don’t need to have super cool friends to safely eat at a wedding.

My friends Liz and Phil had a beautiful wedding and a
unique menu. The waitress informed me
that ANY entree could be made gluten free!
Get on their level, wedding venues!

Here’s a few tips that I learned from attending weddings while being gluten free:
1. Ask every server holding hor d’oeuvres if the small bite they are handing out has gluten in it. This is especially important if you notice the food has some sort of marinade on it. If they do not know, do NOT eat it. Don’t chance it. It’s the beginning of the night and it’s not worth ruining your evening/week/month. If the server offers to find out, great. But sometimes they can’t because they have a giant tray of food to distribute to a ton of hungry and excited guests, and that’s totally fine too. Also, please don’t be rude and ask if obviously gluten filled things like the mini sliders somehow DON'T have gluten in them. You know they do. It sucks, but let it go.
Safe options: Cheese assortment (Google if unsure about the type. I did a quick search about the controversial Blue Cheese and this website * says it’s now safe!) Veggie assortment, (Be careful with unknown marinades or dips!) fruit platter, or sliced meat (Only safe after double checking with the server). Important: Soy sauce is in some steak sauces and is a secret container of gluten that not many people know about! You might even want to straight out ask if the steak marinade contains soy sauce because many don't realize it contains wheat.
2. Tell the FIRST waiter/waitress who comes to your table that you have a food allergy. This person could just be handing out menus or taking the first drink order. You will want to do this way before the dinner orders are being taken. This ensures that the waiter/waitress already recognizes your face when later jotting down your dinner order. Still make sure to politely restate your allergy info when ordering your meal. This can all hopefully help avoid confusion for later when dinner is being served and they need to quickly find the "allergy meal recipient" because by now they know that's you!
Safe options: Plain grilled chicken, steak or salmon with no marinade. It’s boring, but it’s safe.
3. Always double check that the food placed in front of you is gluten free by literally asking “Is this the gluten free entree?” It doesn’t hurt to ask. Plus, I hate to say it, but this simple confirmation has saved me on more than one occasion.
4. Know your alcohols. Be careful with signature cocktails that do not specify exactly which brand is in the drink and be ready to Google at the speed of light if you are unsure.
Safe option: Wine. Thank god for wine.
5. Speaking of Google, you will definitely need a charged phone. You will, of course, already need one for the typical reasons why people carry phones at weddings, (pictures/Ubers/etc.) but honestly, you may need to discreetly Google an item if you are unsure of its gluten quality. Typing “Name of food/drink and gluten free” works the best. Short and simple.
Tip: Try to find the most recent post about if an item is safe on a reputable site such as celiac.com.
Bonus Tip: If you are Catholic and attending a church ceremony, the host is NOT gluten free. Some churches have gluten free Eucharist, but you will need to call ahead or ask the soon to be married couple if their church has it. You can also politely find out how to receive a blessing instead of receiving communion. I was taught to cross my arms on line for the Eucharist in front of the priest to indicate that I will not be receiving Communion and will instead receive a blessing. Please double check with your own parish about this JUST to be sure.
That’s it! These may seem like very simple tips, but it honestly took me a while to speak up and ask questions. Besides, you don’t want be nervously looking for a waiter because you can’t tell for the hundredth time if the chicken meal has breadcrumbs on it or not. (The struggle IS real with those sneaky breadcrumbs.)
Good luck and have fun dancing the night away!
Talk Soon,
-KB

*Blue Cheese Info: https://www.thespruceeats.com/blue-cheese-on-a-gluten-free-diet-1451458

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