Vegan Weddings 2010 (Leslie Ramos & Jason Carmona)

Leslie Ramos & Jason Carmona 
Austin, Texas

Guests: 60
Pricetag: $15,000
Honeymoon: UK and Amsterdam
Words of wisdom: “Plan the wedding together as a couple. It is a wonderful opportunity to create something magical together.”

Their story: In one of those six-degrees-of-separation twists of fate that social networking sites are so adept at accentuating, Leslie found Jason on MySpace through a mutual acquaintance. Intrigued by Jason’s profile photo (no, it wasn’t of Kevin Bacon—that would be a little too spooky), Leslie contacted him. When it turned out that they both lived in Houston, she casually invited him to see a movie. At their first meeting, Jason says, “I was struck dumb when I saw her.” They went on their first official date a few days later and were both blown away by the intensity of their feelings. However, it was more than just infatuation. According to Jason, “We would eventually find out our paths crossed in so many deep and ridiculously interconnected ways; our story makes kismet look like child’s play.” On Christmas Eve that same year, Jason took Leslie to the movie theater where they first met and asked her to marry him. They never did see that second movie.

The wedding: Leslie and Jason held their elegant soirée at the Texas Federation of Women’s Clubs mansion, a venue known for its commitment to social responsibility and education. Before the procession, Leslie admits to feeling a bit overwhelmed, but she followed a friend’s advice to focus on Jason as she walked down the aisle, letting everyone else disappear. Says the bride of that moment, “It was magical.” Their wedding marked the beginning of the couple’s vegan life together, and they went about it in style, choosing a phenomenal lineup of Caribbean and Latin American-inspired cuisine. The entire event was full of personal touches, from the bride’s breathtaking red dress and shoes to the steampunktrunk- shaped groom’s cake. Leslie and Jason also used the opportunity to gently remind their guests about their motivation to go vegan by decorating the place settings with glasses from Farm Sanctuary. It had the intended effect. Says Leslie, “We were so pleased at how many people asked about Farm Sanctuary and veganism after the wedding.”

The Menu

Hors d'oeuvres
Sun-dried tomato and chile pesto, served with artisan crackers
Jerked tofu falafel with Caribbean chutney
 
Dinner
Garlic, rosemary, and comino-stuffed tomato
Stuffed chiles with Southwestern tofu
Pear walnut ginger empanadas
Cuban black beans
Green chile and corn risotto
Green apple and jicama slaw
 
Wedding Cake
Red velvet with cream cheese frosting
 
Groom’s Cake
Vanilla cake with raspberry filling

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.

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