The Bridal Blog

How to Do a Gluten-Free Wedding
by: Kate Loveday

For those of you who are not familiar, Celiac Disease is an illness in which a person’s immune system attacks their digestive system. This attack happens when we eat foods containing wheat, rye, barley, or oats. We also cannot eat anything that has come in contact with them (known as cross-contamination), or is made from them (like modified food starch, caramel coloring). There is a protein called gluten in these grains and my immune system goes to war against me if I eat any of them. Symptoms for a Celiac person after eating gluten can be extremely painful and they come on quickly. Usually within 30 minutes, I know if I’ve eaten something I shouldn’t have, and I severely pay the price.

Since this is a relatively new disease in the United States, food labeling is limited and not truly accurate. The FDA defines Gluten Free as containing less than 20 parts per million (PPM) of gluten per serving. That simply means that foods labeled as Gluten Free contain a small amount per serving. It doesn’t mean they are 100% free of the protein. So, this means I have to be diligent about reading every label and scouring ingredients. I am hyper-sensitive so even 20PPM or less will make me sick. As you can probably imagine, this can put a damper on anyone’s social life.

Before my fiancé, Shawn, I had been told by boyfriends that I was too “high maintenance” because I cannot eat out at many restaurants, or even at friends houses. I have to quiz cooks and chefs to ensure that they are educated in Gluten Free practices. Dates have found this embarrassing and I noticed that after I developed Celiac (around 2007), my invitations to events and social gatherings became less and less. When Shawn and I first started talking to each other, I put all of my cards on the table. I filled him in on all of the difficult details and he accepted me, Celiac and all. Two years later, he proposed and I couldn’t be happier.

Now comes the hard part. When I can’t eat out at restaurants, and I especially can’t eat baked goods, like Wedding Cake, how can we have a stress-free wedding? I literally have anxiety attacks over friendly social gatherings that involve food. I cried at the thought of having my wedding day ruined over a bite of food. This is where I reached out to my wedding planner, Shannon Whitney, for help.

Shannon referred me to Birch Hill. Not only do they have the outdoor location I want for my Ceremony and Reception, but they’ve catered several Gluten Free weddings. Their staff is knowledgeable about Celiac Disease and I have even attended events there and eaten the food successfully with no ill effects. My coordinator at Birch Hill has made me feel confident that I am in good hands.

So I got the issue of food out of the way. However, what in the world could I do for my wedding cake? Birch Hill offered to do a 100% Gluten Free wedding cake. To be honest, having eaten normal food for 26 years, I cannot fathom forcing my guests to eat a Gluten Free wedding cake. That isn’t to say that Gluten Free food tastes bad. It is just that it tastes different. So, what I decided was that I would do a cupcake tree.

I would put normal cupcakes all around the bottom and place a gluten-free round cake at the very top. When Shawn and I do our cake cutting, we will use the round cake at the top and everyone else can eat the normal cupcakes; even Shawn. Lucky for me, one of the best Gluten Free restaurants, Sherry Lynn’s Gluten Free, is available to make the cake for me. The owner has Celiac herself and offers a restaurant where everything is 100% Gluten Free. There is no chance of cross contamination.

With my part of the cake being Gluten Free, my venue being experts on Gluten Free cooking, and my wedding planner there to do the worrying for me, I am looking forward to having a safe and happy wedding!