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SHARAN/I had the wedding of my dreams
I had the wedding of my dreams
I’m Himaja and I’ve been a vegan since 2019. And in December 2021, I had the wedding of my dreams – a vegan and feminist wedding. I was determined that my wedding should reflect my beliefs, and not that of society. Although dairy is a must-have at any Gujarati wedding, I knew that such a happy occasion cannot be a sad one for animals. I did not want our celebration to cause any suffering to animals. So, I talked to a few chefs in Ahmedabad, and found one who agreed to a fully vegan menu.
However, I think veganism is not just a dietary choice, but a lifestyle. It means that you’ve to eliminate animal suffering to the extent possible in every choice you make – clothing, food, ceremonies, decoration, and so on. So, in our ‘havan’ ceremony, we used the vegan ghee that my mom had prepared from coconut oil and vegetable ghee. Vraj (my husband) and I did not wear silk or leather at the wedding. It was not an easy road – many people could not understand why I wanted everything to be vegan. They said we could have vegan options, but let non-vegan people eat their cheese and ‘rabdi’. However, I had decided that animal cruelty can never be justified by someone’s taste buds and sensory indulgences.
Looking back, it was worth the fight. It feels great to have successfully pulled off a fully vegan wedding in India. I am even more thankful that I found support from close family, including Vraj, in planning the vegan menu – he came with me to the tasting sessions and helped me brainstorm ways to veganise certain items, particularly sweets like ‘basundi’.
Vraj and I are based in California, USA and follow the SHARAN lifestyle to the extent possible. In the past, I have attended some cooking sessions offered by SHARAN, and I’ve found them very helpful and inspiring. We try to cook oil-free and we have almost completely replaced sugar with date paste now. In particular, I attended a Salad Revolution class that motivated us to eat healthier and to “eat the rainbow”. I look forward to increasing the number of whole food plant-based meals that I eat every week. I am grateful to SHARAN for making this lifestyle understandable and accessible to so many people in India and abroad.
