Bride’s bud bouquet adorned with the couple’s marriage bands. (Photo by Pasiflora Photography)

WEDDING

Weed Weddings on the Rise: The Love & Marij Movement

On the day of your wedding, you expect everyone will be rather emotional. As the bride looks serenely upon her guests from the altar, she sees not a dry eye in the house, and why would she? — everyone has packed his or her Clear Eyes™. These aren’t your typical nuptials — welcome to the world of weed weddings, where bartenders are replaced with budtenders, the buffet consists of mostly edibles and the bride’s weed-ing dress is made entirely from hemp.

As marijuana continues to become more accepted in the U.S. and legal in certain states, Cannabis weddings are on the rise. As someone who considers herself to be 420 friendly and 420 curious about this movement, I decided to seek out one of the best in the biz to get the scoop on what weed weddings are all about and how they’re making their way to the Bay Area. I spoke with Niki McDonald, the Founder & CEO of LoveandMarij.com, the go to site for those seeking cannabis friendly wedding vendors and inspiration for cannabis event planning.

Here’s what she had to say:

Are you high right now?

Haha… great question!  While I’ve definitely learned that many cannabis strains can increase productivity, can’t say that I’m high right now. I love cannabis as a social experience! I’ll typically only smoke at home if there’s a great movie to watch or have an edible in order to turn my brain off at night so that I can actually get some sleep!

 

What is the typical profile of a couple having a weed wedding?

If you’re human, you fit the profile!  From bougie ballrooms to enchanted rustic barns, I don’t think I’ve ever been to a wedding where closeted cannabis consumption did not take place. While I do enjoy alcohol, the more you drink, the blurrier the night can get. Bringing cannabis into the equation is the ultimate way to freeze time and take in the magnitude of the moment to truly feel the love in the room.

Now that federal law has FINALLY embraced marriage equality, it’s time to fight for “MARIJ EQUALITY” – the freedom to legally recreate with cannabis at your wedding.

Thirteen strains along with handmade glass bowls are presented at a weed wedding in Oregon.
Thirteen strains along with handmade glass bowls are presented at a weed wedding in Oregon. (Photo by Jessica Hill Photography)

How do older guests (parents, grandparents, etc.) react to a Cannabis wedding?

Many parents and grandparents fondly look back upon their “stoner days” as the fun days and are looking for any excuse to re-connect. If they haven’t tried cannabis, they’ve certainly heard fun stoner stories and with the rise of the legalization movement, their curiosity has peaked! All of the adults that are too afraid to go out and buy cannabis on their own will LOVE an excuse to try it! If nothing else, enable them to get the social cool guy credibility at work on Monday when they tell their co-workers that they were invited to a weed wedding!

Many generations enjoy the delights of a weed wedding.
Many generations enjoy the delights of a weed wedding. (Photo by Ali. V Photography)

What are you noticing about the marijuana culture in the Bay Area as compared to other regions?

From Ganja Yoga to Mad High Tea Parties — the wide social acceptance of cannabis culture in the Bay Area has enabled the region to soar.

What are three weed wedding essentials in your experience?

TREAT YOUR GUESTS TO A CANNABAR WITH A BUDTENDER:

Cannabis can be a much cheaper alternative to alcohol.  There’s nothing de-classe about a formally dressed bud-tender presenting fine herb in ornate one-hitters and beautiful bowls. You can get jazzy with gold rolled joints or engraved serving jars.

SELECT A SIGNATURE STRAIN:

Create a sign that shares the significance of this strain in your love story! It’s a sweet and celebratory way for guests to sample and actively participate in your big day!

WOW YOUR GUESTS WITH A CANNABIS KEEPSAKE:

From cannabis candles to chapsticks, non-THC components of the plant can evoke relaxing benefits without getting you high. If the high is something you’re chasing, send your guests a Thank You KushKard with a low dose edible (5mg or less) or pre-rolled joint!

A few parting gifts for wedding guests.
A few parting gifts for wedding guests. (Photo by Ali. V Photography)

What are some of the most creative incorporations of pot into a wedding that you’ve seen?

The most creative weed wedding we’ve seen so far was in Colorado with groomsmen budineers, cannabis clones as seating cards, ganja giftbags and a glass rabbi pipe you could smoke out of! A San Francisco based couple did a legal cannabis wedding complete with a budtender distributing cannabis and volcano vaporizers in a giant tent call the Shady Waffle!

From cannabis print dresses to ice sculptures that can double as bongs to incorporating cannabis into your wedding ceremony, the sky’s the limit!

Glass Rabbi pipe.
Glass Rabbi pipe. (Photo by Ali. V Photography)

With legalization of pot gaining traction, we may be seeing more and more Canna-brations cropping up all over the Bay Area.

See full article here: https://www.bayarea.com/2016/06/18/weed-weddings/