AITA for refusing to label my wedding cake as vegan because a guest felt “tricked”?

A Reddit user recounts a wedding controversy where their choice of a vegan cake caused unexpected drama. Despite informing guests beforehand that the entire wedding, including the cake, would be vegan, the groom’s aunt felt “tricked” and demanded the cake be labeled or removed. The bride stood her ground, sparking a family debate on whether she should have compromised for the sake of peace. Read the full story below and share your thoughts!

‘ AITA for refusing to label my wedding cake as vegan because a guest felt “tricked”?’

My husband (32M) and I (30F) had a vegan wedding because we’re both vegan. We made it clear in advance that the food and cake would be plant-based, and no one complained—until the reception. The cake was gorgeous: three-tiers decorated with edible flowers.

Toward the end of the night, one of my husband’s aunts, Linda, came up to me looking visibly upset. She said it was “disrespectful” to have a vegan cake on display because it felt like I was “pushing my lifestyle” on everyone.
I told her the cake wasn’t meant to make a statement, it was just the dessert we chose for our wedding.

She insisted I either move the cake off the main table or add a sign saying it was vegan so people weren’t “tricked” into eating it.

I refused because: 1) It was my wedding, 2) It’s a cake, not propaganda, and 3) No one else seemed to care. Linda ended up storming out, and now my in-laws are saying I should’ve compromised to avoid drama.

I think Linda’s reaction was ridiculous, but my husband thinks I could’ve just put up a sign to keep the peace. AITA?

These are the responses from Reddit users:

blueeyedwolff −  NTA. The whole thing was vegan. It was your wedding, your choice. I wouldn’t feel tricked by eating a vegan cake at all. She has some issues. Let her seethe and be upset. You don’t owe her anything. Putting up a sign would have rewarded her bad, entitled behavior. You had no reason to do it.

AnonAnontheAnony −  NTA – The only things you are obligated to include are allergens, dietary and religeous food exemptions.

Being Vegan, unless they are allergic to something like soy, is not something you HAVE to put. In fact, it’s actually more time consuming to label something Vegan, because every ingredient has to be outright vetted to be not animal based to be legally labeled as vegan in the first place, like Kosher or Halal, there are rules and guidelines you have to follow.

Linda is being incredibly rediciulous, and no, a sign to appease people being dumb is not the answer. This is the kind of person that would have complained, sign or no by the sounds of it.

Bootastical −  NTA. Should you also put a sign up if you serve broccoli? You’re not tricking anyone into eating something they’re allergic to, or tricking vegans into eating a non-vegan cake. This is just absent of certain ingredients. The horror.

smookydabear −  NTA. She said it was “disrespectful” to have a vegan cake on display because it felt like I was “pushing my lifestyle” on everyone.
Not gonna be the first time you have problems with this aunt. Clearly someone who gets incensed at the idea of someone living in a way that is different then what she does. I suggest you ignore her and hope she stays away.

alien_overlord_1001 −  NTA. You already told everyone all the catering would be vegan. No reason to expect the cake should be any different. Not sure what she was expecting here. Let her have her tantrum. Don’t ever invite her to dinner.

wilderneyes −  What’s even the difference between a vegan cake and non-vegan cake? Substitutions for eggs and dairy? It’s not like you snuck Linda a grilled leaf patty dressed up as a sirloin steak or whatever she thinks vegan food is like, it’s just a few changed ingredients. There’s hardly even a difference!

And either way you have the right to serve whatever you like at your own wedding. It’s a party celebrating you and your husband, hosted by you and your husband, and both of you are vegan. Ergo, the food served at the wedding is vegan, so that you (vegan) and your husband (also vegan) can eat it (because you both are vegan). Surely Linda had to know this fact about you both if she was relevant enough to be invited in the first place.

The ONLY way Linda’s criticisms would hold any merit at all would be if she’d either had a genuine concern, expressed RESPECTFULLY, about some allergen commonly found in vegan food, OR if she had discovered that the wedding had only ever secretly been a villainous front to trap your hapless relatives, and indoctrinate the family into partaking in your Wicked Vegan Schemes™.

But simply existing and serving food catered to your own dietary preferences does not constitute tricking your guests. Linda is an entitled a**hole. You are NTA. I hope the cake was good and that you both enjoy your honeymoon!

louisiana_lagniappe −  Someone should tell Linda about Oreos.. NTA.

Next-Dimension-9479 −  NTA!! I’m not vegan but I had plenty of vegan dishes. Some dishes just are vegan without even having thought about it. If the cake’s delicious, who really is going to care about the lack of animalbased ingredients?

Pleasant_Pack_6464 −  NTA. Your wedding, your choice. If y’all both are vegan, it was perfectly logical to assume you’d serve vegan food at YOUR wedding.

Strange_Jackfruit_89 −  NTA. So sick of these posts and how people act over eating one vegan meal that someone else is paying for. You didn’t tell her she had to eat vegan from now on. It was one meal and dessert, that was provided to her at no cost. So her options are to eat it or not. End of story.