No wedding cake, no desserts and no non-organic alcohol – these were just some of the ingredients of nutritionist Jessica Sepel’s clean-eating wedding.
Jessica Sepel, 26, is a nutritionist turned author who recently married her fiance and tech startup founder Dean Steingold, 30, in Thailand.
Whilst destination weddings are not unusual by any means, perhaps what was slightly unique about Jessica and Dean’s nuptials was that the couple approached their wedding menu the same way they approach their diet in their daily life.
The Sydney-based couple chose to divert from traditional wedding food options such as cake, sweets, red meats and pastas, and instead supplied their wedding party with fresh vegetables, grilled fish and a selection of fruits for dessert.
Jessica told the Daily Mail, “We wanted a healthy wedding because both Dean and I are committed to a healthy lifestyle…it was important that our wedding reflected this aspect of our lives.”
The couple, who have been together for four years, flew more than 170 wedding guests to Koh Samui to enjoy a weekend of wedding festivities which included yoga, spa visits, and a diet of fresh fruit, steamed vegetables and grilled fish.
A glimpse of the nutritious meals eaten by Jessica and her guests over the course of her wedding weekend. Image: Jessica Sepel via InstagramWhilst the couple’s guests were not provided with sugary cakes or desserts throughout the course of the weekend, Jessica made sure they enjoyed her own version of treats such as a vitamin juice station, sugar-free bliss balls and banana-date-walnut muffins; (all recipes from her book The Healthy Life).
On their wedding day, Jessica and Dean provided guests with coconuts to sip on during the beach side ceremony, and the reception menu was just as nourishing according to Jessica who said,
“On the wedding night there were a range of dishes, including Thai green papaya salad, roasted brussel sprouts, grilled local white snow fish and fresh fruit for dessert.”
In the absence of wedding cake and sugary alcoholic drinks guests were instead provided with a selection organic wines, with Jessica admitting to indulging in a glass or two herself.
“I don’t usually drink, but I did enjoy a glass or two of certified organic Australian Chardonnay from Organic One,’ she said, ‘There are no chemicals used in the manufacturing process which means your body is better able to break down all the alcohol and you’re not left with a hangover.”
Jessica has openly discussed the pressure she felt to look perfect for her wedding on her website and has even provided an eating schedule for health conscious bride.
In a post titled ‘What a bride eats on her wedding day’ Jessica suggests brides enjoy clean foods and recommends warm water with lemon and ginger, followed by a breakfast of fresh papaya and lime juice, a lunch of grilled fish and salad and snacks of celery and cucumber sticks.
Although Jessica and Dean’s wedding weekend was more akin to a health retreat than a traditional wedding, Jessica maintains that her guests thoroughly enjoyed the experience and her wedding is proof that living a healthy lifestyle is easily achieved. Jessica told the Daily Mail,
“Often people feel that weddings must be indulgent and extravagant – but I hope that having a ‘healthy’ wedding shows people that healthy living can be so simple, even in such a busy and celebratory time.”
