3 Weed-Friendly Wedding Planners Tell Us All About Planning Cannabis-Infused Nuptials

By: Ivy Jacobson

It’s true: Because of the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska, some 4/20-loving couples are now looking for ways to include weed in their wedding day—from bud bouquets to special edibles at the reception. And while we don’t expect it to become as popular as, say, the signature drink at cocktail hour, the weed-friendly wedding planners and experts we talked to gave us reason to believe that we can expect to see more of it over the coming years.

Name and Company: Niki McDonald, LoveandMarij.com, based in Colorado

Sound Bite: I’m a New York City native who came into the cannabis industry by moving out to Colorado to direct and produce MSNBC’s Pot Barons of Colorado. After spending eight months on the ground in Colorado learning the ins and outs of the legal cannabis industry, I created Love and Marij to shatter outdated stereotypes and show how legal cannabis can pair with class at upscale events.

How long have you been in the wedding industry? Wedding planning: 2012; cannabis wedding planning: 2014

What are some different ways you’ve incorporated weed into weddings? In legal states, the sky’s the limit! You can light up in your limo, put buds in your bouquet, serve a signature strain, hotbox your hotel, serve a bud bar with your open bar, give ganja gift bags and beyond.

Have there been any challenges finding weed-friendly vendors to participate in weddings? While cannabis remains federally illegal, and with state laws constantly in flux, many wedding vendors have a desire to integrate cannabis into their day, but don’t want to assume unnecessary risk. Other vendors want to service their cannabis clients but feel as if the taboo of marijuana will paint them in an unfavorable light with their non-cannabis clients.

Love and Marij is working to marry the cannabis industry with the wedding industry. In states where recreational cannabis is legal, we’re working with state cannabis regulators and the state police to bring clarity to cannabis laws, allowing more vendors to comfortably exercise their legal right to work with cannabis.

Though efforts like the Cannabis Wedding Giveaway and the world’s first Cannabis Wedding Expo, which was held last January in Denver, our mission is to unite the brave pioneers of the cannabis wedding movement and create to prove to the world that cannabis can coexist with class.

Who are some of your favorite weed-friendly vendors? The Cultivating Spirits experience is my personal favorite bachelor/bachelorette or rehearsal dinner experience. It’s not about “getting high”—it’s paring a small hit of specific cannabis strains to bring out the flavor of food, wine and craft beer. The Herbal Chef trained under Southern California’s top chefs in Michelin-star restaurants and has prepared some of the most incredible infused meals I’ve had to date. And Cannabis Concierge Events is an expert cannabis event planner who can make your wildest cannabis dreams come true. If getting a buzz isn’t your thing, there are hundreds of ways to use the cannabis plant for medicinal wedding day befits from CBD (Cibaderm Cannabidiol) based skin care products to transdermal patches that can take away the pain of high heels or dress slacks.

What’s been your favorite weed wedding feature? Our favorite cannabis wedding innovation has been the concept of a cannabis wedding registry service at legal cannabis dispensaries. My favorite part of planning my own wedding was the upscale treatment large department stores give you when you’re signing up for your registry and I wanted to replicate that luxe treatment in dispensaries. Through Love and Marij’s cannabis registry service, you can make an appointment with a dispensary’s top budtender to help you select your signature strain. We’ve started the process in Colorado and are about to extend the service into other states

What are your favorite fun edibles to create at the reception? In lieu of champagne, I love the idea of a sparking cannabis toast with Dixie Elixirs. Companies like Sweet Grass Kitchen and Julie’s Natural Edibles offer low-dose strain specific edibles so guests can achieve an intended feeling. If you’re a chocolate lover, s’mores made with Incredibles chocolate makes for the perfect nightcap!

For anyone looking to serve up edibles as an alternative to smoking at their wedding, we highly recommend hiring a budtender for the evening to properly administer dosing. For guests that are new to edibles, the most common mistake is having too much, too soon. To guarantee a good time, our recommended milligram dosage is 3 to 5 mg of THC for a first-time consumer. For many tipsy people with a sweet tooth, it’s hard to practice self control. Since it can take up to two hours to fully feel the effects of an edible, a budtender will help your guests avoid the common mistake of thinking they’re ready for seconds before they truly are.

While homemade edibles can make for a sweet personal touch, save your baking for home. For a large group of guests, our advice is to stick with licensed edibles manufactures that print their lab results on their products. This will better regulate the potency of what your guests are getting.

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