Cannabis weddings have become a popular trend in recreational states like Oregon, Colorado, and Washington. Many couples opt to feature a cannabis bar, add cannabis flowers or fan leaves to their bouquet or headpiece and even feature cannabis leaves on their delicate invitation stationery. The options have become endless for elegant couples looking to host a lavish wedding that just happens to include their favorite plant. Navigating the legal landscape of cannabis intertwined with the stress of wedding planning is only possible with the help of a cannabis event specialist, we asked a few event planners that specialize in cannabis weddings for their tips and tricks for arranging the perfect weed wedding. The common consensus between everyone involved is that a weed wedding becomes even more of a joyous occasion because the plant has a natural ability to bring people together.
Location is Crucial
From state to state cannabis laws vary and that makes finding a cannabis friendly venue the very first step in planning a weed wedding. In Colorado, as long as the venue is cannabis friendly and the guests don’t partake in a public display of getting stoned, the location should be completely safe. When we reached out to Bec Koop, Owner of Cannabis Concierge Events and Buds & Blossoms she was quick to let us in on a mile high wedding favorite when she exclaimed: “We love outdoor mountain weddings!”. But in medical states like California, the current legal climate dictates that most cannabis weddings can only be held at private residences.
We had the opportunity to speak with Vanessa Lynn Pierrard who works as the Marketing Manager and Event Planner for The High Note operating out of the San Francisco Bay Area. She expresses the difficulties that California canna-couples face when hoping to throw a weed wedding found in recreational states, “While it is legal to consume cannabis with a valid doctor’s recommendation, it is illegal to share and distribute, thus creating challenges for couples who want to have a “weed wedding” like those in Colorado and Washington.” But Californians might not have to wait too long since they will be able to vote on recreational cannabis in less than a month.
Alternative Displays of Cannabis
When most people hear the term weed wedding they almost always imagine a bar of cannabis flowers displayed elegantly with a budtender on hand for direction. While this is certainly a reality there are other ways to include cannabis in a classically styled wedding. Although Pierrard from The High Note previously expressed caution with venue choices in California she added with hope, “Fear not, because any herb loving couple can incorporate cannabis into their wedding through adding cannabis leaves to bouquets, customizing individual smoking accessories, and adding fun weed-themed jewelry.” The elevated event planner also recommends small touches of cannabis throughout the event to be easily seen by those that are already awake to the concept while remaining ‘PC’ to any guests who might not be as cannabis friendly.
There are so many ways that cannabis and hemp are used in weddings and hemp is a super sustainable plant for the environment. Koop from Cannabis Concierge Events has cultivated a space where a cannabis bride can find almost every cannabis wedding item, listing out “cannabis-infused floral arrangements, connections to hemp/silk wedding dress designers, graphic designers that make hemp paper invitations & party favors like hemp chapstick or pain relief salves” as the ways that she can assist in cannabis related planning in Colorado.
Weed Wediquette
Many couples looking to include cannabis in their wedding may worry what Grandma Dorris may think with ‘the pot heads over there’ sharing her dance floor. Weed Wedding Etiquette, or as we like to say Weed Wediquette, is easily accomplished with careful planning and can ensure the comfort for all of the grannies of the world. At The High Note they accomplish weed wediquette by maintaining a focus on the bride and groom instead of cannabis or smoking. “Weddings are about love and marriage and the main focus should never be about anything other than the couple tying the knot and the celebration of their lives together!” Pierrard goes on, “Making anything other than them the focus will inherently make people uncomfortable.”
Going further Koop suggests separating cannabis from the main party by adding a party bus or smoking patio when she told us, “Setting up a separate area for cannabis consumption to take place; some couples prefer to vaporize only to keep it odorless. Koop also recommends that anyone looking to add cannabis to their nuptials should “provide a lot of educational materials and have a good staff that makes everyone at the event feel 100% comfortable.” Educational materials and a staff that we can rely on will ensure that any guests that might be smoking for the first couple of times doesn’t have a bad experience and ruin the special day.
Both of these prominent event planners agree on one thing, cannabis only adds to the joyous occasion that is a wedding. Koop told us that when cannabis is involved in a wedding the mellow quality of the plant is definitely noticeable, “The entire wedding tends to be more relaxed. Far less drama! No canna-bridezillas yet!”. Pierrard adds that “Cannabis is a natural anxiety & stress reliever and a common side effect is a case of the giggles!” making wedding guests feel more comfortable to get down on it on that dance floor. After all, it’s only fitting that at the union of two families a joint or bowl gets passed around. As Pierrard so eloquently puts it, “No other herb, plant, substance, or single thing on Earth brings a sense of community like sharing a bowl, joint, volcano with friends, strangers, and those odd relatives we all have.”
How would you include the cannabis plant on your special day? Are there ways to practice weediquette that we missed? Let us know in the comments!