Weed Weddings
As marijuana legalization rolls out over the next 6 months, and with retail stores expected to be open in January 2020, Michigan will start to see many ancillary businesses pop up. One industry that has seen growth in states such as Colorado, California, Washington and Oregon where recreational marijuana is also legal is the wedding industry.
We have all seen weddings where a member of the wedding party has had too much to drink and is unable to make the speech that had been prepared long in advance, or we may have experienced the very drunk uncle that you need to follow around and apologize for all of his indiscretions along the way. These events can find a way to ruin one of the happiest days for the bride and groom. Providing cannabis to the guest may eliminate these fiascoes, or may even make these incidents more tolerable if you decide to supply both marijuana and alcohol at the wedding reception.
If you choose to have a 420 friendly wedding, be sure to follow the law and keep updated on any changes throughout your planning process. What may be true in Michigan today may not be the same in 6 months and certainly not the same in a year or two.
A few things that will likely hold true is that it will be illegal to consume in public and by those under 21. You may want to limit your guest list to those 21 and over and expect to hold the event at a private residence instead of a very public banquet hall or other venues. You may not able to provide alcohol at the same time, and for courtesy at least, the smoking area should be separate and discrete. While it is still hard to measure and prove, driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal. Providing transportation for your guests would be a delightful gesture.
A surprising benefit to providing marijuana instead of alcohol is the cost. Of course, costs are going to vary, but one company, Cultivating Spirits does offer a 100 person bud bar for $300 for a minimum of 2 hours, with additional hours at $100. A typical bud bar could include prerolls, vaporizers, and glass pipes.
Now that you have decided to incorporate cannabis into your wedding, how do you go ahead with that?
You could give a subtle nod to the cannabis culture by wearing clothing produced from hemp and incorporating a few strategic buds into your bouquet or centerpieces. Or, you can go all out with some of these ideas.
Start the bachelor and bachelorette parties off a bit early by hand delivering a ‘kush kard’ with a pre-roll attached so that your guests are ready to enjoy themselves from the moment of the invite.
There are increasing numbers of cannabis chefs that can design a gourmet dinner with multiple courses with different strains of cannabis that compliment the food being served and the mood you would like to invoke at that particular time. If you need to keep this on the smaller, more intimate level, use this as a rehearsal dinner option.
A weed bar, as mentioned above can be more economical than the typical alcohol bar. Depending on your family and guests there are options to have the bar front and center or to be a bit more discrete and provide for a different or a more hidden location, such as a tent, for your guests to participate.
Gourmet edibles are a great option to provide your guest. If you do not want to have a full cannabis cake created consider a green layer or other small cookies or candies to have on hand to help create the mood for the night whether that is a party mood right after dinner to a more relaxed atmosphere as the evening winds down.
A final option is to provide custom party favors that can help your guests remember and enjoy your special day at a later time. As a special thank you to your wedding party consider these Mary Jane Gift Boxes.
If you are interested in finding ways to incorporate cannabis into your wedding plan a trip to Boston October 5, when the next Cannabis Wedding Expo is to be held.