Vegan Weddings 2010 (Emily Shapiro & Matt Pascarella)

Emily Shapiro & Matt Pascarella 
Brooklyn, NY

Guests: 175
Pricetag: $40,000
Honeymoon: Costa Rica
Words of wisdom: “Make sure you save yourself a plate and take home the leftovers. We forgot and were very upset about it later that night when we wanted to pig out.”

Their story: A class project in college brought Emily and Matt together initially, but it wasn’t until they connected a few years after graduating that they realized their compatibility as a couple. Food was often the focus of their early encounters, and they somehow managed to balance their love of whole foods and healthy eating with the somewhat-more-than-occasional indulgence. On their first date, they satisfied their sweet tooth with Green & Black’s dark chocolate and strawberries, setting the tone for many future forays to forage for decadent desserts.

Emily and Matt cemented their bond over broccoli and kale but found equal enjoyment in “insanely long walks” across the Brooklyn Bridge and beyond in search of the most sumptuous sweets they could find. Matt chose one seemingly typical lazy Sunday to pop the question, nonchalantly musing about their future before pulling a ring out from under the bed. Their shared love of greens, beans, quinoa, and vegan dark chocolate guarantees the pair a lifetime of luscious and antioxidant-fueled meals together.

The wedding: Emily and Matt chose Galapagos Art Space (New York’s first LEED-certified cultural events space) as the site for their celebration, soliciting help from friends for nearly every aspect of their event. They personalized the processional by playing Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne” and say having their first dance to The Turtles’ “Happy Together” was one of their favorite moments of the day. True to their foodie form, they called in help from Candle Café, and guests grazed at three separate stations (Mexican, Italian, and Indian) before diving into the pièce de résistance—a fourtier chocolate cake (with one vanilla layer) coated in vegan marzipan icing.

The Menu

Cocktail Hour
Nori rolls with creamy wasabi
Stuffed potatoes with tofu sour cream and hijiki caviar
Seitan cake with tartare sauce
Chimichurris
Pigs in a blanket
Chickpea cakes with mango chutney
 
Dinner
Mexican Station
Guacamole
Pico de gallo
Tortilla chips
Marinated pulled seitan Strips
Bean & Rice Pilaf
Fajita and sautéed zucchini, red peppers, onions
Flour tortillas

Italian Station
Fresh herb mesclun Salad
Rigatoni with seitan meatballs and tofu cheese
Vegetable pizzas
Grilled seasonal vegetable platters
Breadsticks

Indian Station
Tofu-spinach saag
Curried vegetables with chickpeas
Cardamom infused basmati rice
Mango chutney
Assorted Indian breads
 
Dessert
Four-tier chocolate and vanilla cake with vegan marzipan icing
Chocolate and blond raw coconut macaroons

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.

Interested in being a part of next year's VegNews Wedding Feature? Apply Now!