Weddings are expensive: the food, the drinks, the twelve dollars for a single flower – things add up and they add up fast. In fact, the average cost of a wedding in the US is just under 27,000 dollars. For comparison sake, the cost of a new car is roughly five thousand dollars more. Of course, expense isn’t the only theme of weddings: the teary mother, the bored flower girl, the drunken uncle hitting on a bridesmaid – there are certain things that come with the territory. And, now, one of those things is cannabis. In states where weed is legal, cannabis weddings are growing in popularity. Planners work with regulators and within local polices to make sure they stay true to the law. Then they put on a shindig people aren’t likely to forget (or very likely depending on strain). While bringing White Widow to a wedding seems a bit ominous, superstitions aside, it makes for a heck of a party too. Here comes the bride…and the bud.

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The Cannabis Wedding Expo

The Cannabis Wedding Expo is exactly what it sounds like: a wedding expo that teaches people how to incorporate weed into their blissful day. According to their site, the Cannabis Wedding Expo is “A fun and educational opportunity for couples and canna-businesses to come together and learn about how to safely and intelligently bring cannabis into their special day in classy and sophisticated ways.”

The expos are filled with three main types of people: couples getting hitched, industry professionals, and those who are simply curious

This year’s Cannabis Wedding Expo takes place in three locations: Denver, and San Francisco. The Denver expo has come and gone – it took place in February – and per Marijuana_Boquet, cannabis wedding Fox 31 involved over 1,000 attendees and 70 companies. These numbers testify to the growth of the cannabis industry – the Cannabis Wedding Expo from 2016 attracted around 300 visitors and 35 companies. The San Francisco Cannabis Wedding Expo takes place on April 30th at the Westfield San Francisco Centre level 4 (845 Market St.). The people behind the Cannabis Wedding Expo state that they created the expo not only as means to give people a chance to incorporate weed into weddings but because they were turned away from traditional expos. Even in Colorado and Oregon, places where weed is recreationally legal, old habits die hard and some people hold onto the belief that toking is taboo.

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Why a Cannabis Wedding?

The reasons behind having a cannabis wedding are as varied as the people getting married. Some couples want to do something different and turn to their love of pot to find this something. Others see cannabis weddings as an opportunity to educate guests and show them that kicking back with a joint is no different than relaxing with a glass of wine. Some people use cannabis to replace the typical “open bar” while others use it in addition to a bar (some vendors at the expos work to teach guests how to pair pot with port, pinot, or prosecco). And some couples merely want to be surrounded by everybody they love on their big day, including Mary Jane.

How to Merge Ganja with Garter Belts

Attending a Cannabis Wedding Expo offers guests creative ideas on how to turn their wedding into a weeding. Some of these include: A Marijuana Bouquet: Some places, like medicinal shops in California, will make these bouquets for you, whether or not you’re actually getting married. In Denver, there are some flower shops that will arrange the marijuana into a bouquet as long as you supply it. A Bud Bar: Tradition reeks of champagne instead of champagne kush, but a bud bar is a novel idea if there’s going to be a lot of marijuana lovers in attendance. Cannabis_CakeConsider edibles in addition to bongs or joints, but be sure they’re clearly labeled. You don’t need a guest eating five pot cookies under the assumption that the only high they’ll receive is the one induced by sugar. Clever Parting Gifts: Wedding guests typically leave a wedding with a souvenir candle or a bottle of bubbles, but now they can leave with a bottle of buds (buddles?). Edibles, single joints, and rolling papers make good parting gifts too. Or if you’re rich – you invented Snapchat or something – send everyone into the night with a brand new vape pen or a bottle of CBD oil.

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Weed Wedding Tips

A weed wedding can be a lot of fun: it’s holy matrimony meets holy smokes. Still, it comes with a little more required vigilance than the more run of the mill weddings. A few things to keep in mind: Be sure your venue is cannabis-friendly: Just because you live in a legal state, there’s no guarantee that the venue will open their arms to your theme. If you have your heart set on cannabis with your wedding cake, speak to the venue about your plans before you book. Offer something for the non-pot crowd: Traditional weddings are full of people who don’t drink and cannabis weddings will also be full of people who don’t imbibe: make sure there’s something for them. Don’t make it so canna-focused that they’ll feel excluded. Choose your strains wisely: If you only offer strains that are heavy indicas, you’re going to have a wedding full of guests who want to nap instead of dance. No one will come out to the do the Electric Slide which might sound like good news, but it makes for a muted event. And, of course, pay special attention to the buffet lines. Warn your guest beforehand that they’re going to be long and crowded.