Now, the part that all girls look forward to- the bridal shower! My mom was wonderful with making sure that I would be able to enjoy lunch with my friends and family without getting sick or just starving. Thank goodness for my mom! She managed to run through the menu with the restaurant and came up with some delicious substitutions for me! If you haven’t noticed a theme with me just yet- I do not expect to live in a gluten free world. I don’t expect to live in a gluten free household either (unless I’m living alone but given that my fiance and I just bought a house together, that ship has sailed!). Some have voiced their opinion about this and brought up fears of cross contamination and extra “work” involved, but it works for me. I did not expect, nor want, a completely gluten free shower. Here was how everything was broken down:
Appetizers:
- Caprese salad- super easy! Sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, balsamic vinegar!
- Pizza- totally not gluten free, but it is a family favorite at this restaurant and wanted everyone to enjoy their day out as well!
Dinner:
- Salad- no croutons, gluten free dressing!
- Sausage & Peppers: I passed because I didn’t know if the sausage was safe
- Chicken vesuvio with roasted red peppers: They did not use flour to brown the chicken so it was 100% safe for me!
- Mostaccioli- not gluten free for everyone else but they did have a gluten free pasta they prepared for just me with a marinara sauce! Delicious!
Dessert: An amazing dessert table prepared by my mom and my Aunt Mary (thanks guys!)
- Gluten free cupcakes from my favorite cupcakery!additional non-gluten free cupcakes but everything CLEARLY LABELED
- Chocolate covered strawberries
- Chocolate covered pretzels (not gluten free but could be if you used GF pretzels!)
- Cannoli cake- not gluten free but one of my fiancé’s favorite cakes
And of course- the gluten free cupcakes in a jar that were sent home with each guest. I prepared the cupcakes myself and they turned out to be AMAZING! I would make these in a heartbeat for the next shower/birthday/whatever I’m hosting!
Hope this helps you get started on your gluten free wedding preparation! My biggest tip though is to try to stay calm and just have fun with it! If you’re looking for 100% gluten free you may be making things too difficult for yourself, especially if you are hosting a big wedding or other event!
Oh- and while we are on the topic of bridal showers, I hope you all remember to have fun with your registry! Now, if you’ve read my gluten free kitchen blog, you would know that not EVERYTHING needs to be gluten free. However, since it was our shower and a time to indulge a bit, we registered for duplicates of certain items. We are fortunate to have a large kitchen so we did register for duplicate items- one to be gluten free and one for gluten containing foods. Yeah, I know- my crock pot doesn’t need to be gluten free. He can make his chili and I can clean it out and use it to make my gluten free version. However, what happens when we are hosting a party (which we do frequently)? With two crock pots we can have gluten free versions available as well! All you need are gluten free labels and you are good to go! Trust me; it makes things so much easier when you’re cooking for large groups! We did make sure to register for two colanders as those should be kept gluten free since they can be difficult to clean. Come on, spoil yourself. This is the only time in your life that you get to tell people what you need!
xoxo
Fit Fabulous and Gluten Free 