It’s finally here: Your wedding day.
A day that so many of us—or at least our parents—have dreamed of since childhood. How will you mark the occasion? With Champagne? A mile-high cake? Or perhaps another kind of high?
Welcome to the era of the cannabis-friendly wedding. Whether as an ancient plant-based sacrament—or merely a reliable social lubricant—cannabis is finding a welcoming place in the wedding party, at least in states in which it’s legal.
Smoke It, and They Will Come: The Birth of the 420 Wedding Theme
Believe it or not, 2016 inaugurated the first Cannabis Wedding Expo in Denver; topics included “bud bars,” cannabis-themed decor, infused foods, and corsages, among others. And several web-based services such as Love and MariJ and CannaBride link clients with cannabis-themed vendors and service providers.
If this sounds a bit like a crazy pipe dream, think again: “Green tourism” is already a recognized force in states in which cannabis is legal. And, in many regards it’s a natural fit for the wedding industry, being that wedding ceremonies are built upon the forging of sacred vows, communal revelry and the natural intoxication inherent to a public celebration.
While statistics on weed-themed weddings are a bit foggy, so to speak, their popularity is unquestionably growing at a rapid pace; Colorado, Oregon, and Washington are already recognized as destinations solely based on cannabis’ legal status. The field is experiencing a diversification and differentiation similar to that seen in other cannabis-based industries such as dispensaries, where a focus on quality, locality, and freshness pays off for those operators willing to invest in premium-grade products.
420 Wedding Theme Ideas to Spark Your Creativity
Integrating cannabis into your wedding plans can take on many forms, some subtle and some more visible. In some cases, choosing to include cannabis in the festivities spurs a productive dialogue with parents and other relatives, while others find that it makes potential guests—and sponsors—uncomfortable.
Some discreet options for integrating cannabis into the wedding include such low-key statements as wearing hemp-fiber clothes or adding cannabis goodies to gift bags for partygoers.
Others couples are more open, replacing the traditional champagne toast with a ceremonial first toke, or—anecdotally the most popular option—providing a fully staffed bud bar for guests to sample different strains at their leisure.
One reason to have a licensed budtender on hand will be familiar to anyone who’s attended a wedding: Just as with alcohol—overindulgence at weddings is commonplace—it’s helpful to have a moderating influence onsite to make sure guests don’t unintentionally overdo it and, say, fall into the wedding cake.
Maximizing Your Special Day
Whichever route you choose to take—or if you’re merely investigating the options—we see this trend as an overwhelmingly positive indication. For many soon-to-be-newlyweds, cannabis is simply another pleasurable element they can weave into their special day. And if we can help responsible, consenting adults experience pleasure, that makes us pretty darn happy too.
