Interested in being a part of next year's wedding feature? Click here to download an application.

Ursula Giarratano & Michael Guzzetti
San Diego, California
June 21, 2003
70 Guests

Ursula admits to being interested in me from the moment she heard me play a Beatles song at a party in 1998 (the song was Blackbird). Thankfully, I did not try to sing, or I probably wouldn’t be sitting here writing this article. Over the next few years we bumped into each other occasionally but remained just friends. Then one evening, after eating dinner at a mutual friend’s house (and consuming several organic beers), I almost fell off a balcony—and Ursula saved my life. When I discovered that she became a vegetarian of her own volition at seven years old, that John Lennon was her favorite Beatle, and that she shared a similar passion for life and love, I was pretty certain my quest for the perfect mate was over.

After living together for about a year, Ursula shared that she was tired of being seen just as my “girlfriend.” Under the delusion that this remark was feministic in nature, I quickly agreed that it was very important for my friends and family to see her as an individual. When the true nature of her statement dawned on me, we laughed and mutually agreed that marriage would be a wonderful way to publicly express our love.

Our original idea was to be married on a cliff by a shaman complete with a backyard reception, but this idea was quickly abandoned as we realized the importance of putting our wedding into a context our families could easily absorb. As we already felt married and completely devoted to each other, our wedding was really a public acknowledgment for our friends and families. We wanted them to appreciate our eternal commitment to the unwavering love we shared, and it seemed very important to keep some of their conventional expectations in mind.

However, our veganism was one principle that would not be compromised. After some initial resistance, our demands were accepted. To almost the entire wedding party’s delight, the food was absolutely delicious and even the originally avid opponents of our culinary choice were won over by the exquisite cuisine. The cake was extremely well received and most guests did not even realize the ingredients were free of any eggs or butter.

Luckily, we were able to accomplish many of the traditional aspects of our wedding with the help of friends and the network of vegan businesses in San Diego. Vikas, the owner of Galoka, an amazing vegetarian Indian restaurant in La Jolla that doubles as a jazz house and art gallery, helped convince Ursula’s parents that they could provide the perfect venue for our wedding reception. Our photography and video was provided by Artistic Visuals, owned by our friends, Brett Shoaf and Charlie Manz. Even our cake baker, Stephanie’s Bakery, helped us by working with Galoka to deliver, decorate, and store the cake (since vegan cakes aren’t composed of space-aged plastics, they usually need to be refrigerated until ready for consumption).

Our wedding felt like a truly unique experience. With a live Celtic band for our ceremony, a reception at the wonderful Galoka, an original punk rock song as a toast from my brothers, and a backyard after-party with tiki-torches and more great food and drinks, the day felt like absolute bliss. We were thrilled with our choice to publicly express our love with a wedding, and keeping everything vegan brought only compliments and gave an enlightened view of how delicious eating without cruelty can really be. As I said in my toast, “There is no greater gathering of people then when they are gathering in celebration of Love.”

Ursula & Michael’s Menu
Appetizers
Matar Papri (crackers & chickpea dip)

Buffet Dinner
Green Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Lentil Soup
Lemon Pepper Bread
Aloo Palak (Potatoes & Spinach)
Mushroom Curry with Soy Chicken
Basmati Rice Pilaf

Wedding Cake
Three-tiered Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Mousse Filling, Lemon Cake with Mango Mousse Filling, and Vanilla Cake with Raspberry Mousse Filling with a Tofu Buttercream Frosting

Beverages
Organic Red & White Wine
Beer
Champagne
Coffee and Tea