The Growing Industry of Weed Weddings

A new kind of high-end excess is increasingly making an appearance at modern weddings: weed bars. The world of weddings has always been a competition of ostentatious entertaining, and with pot becoming legal in an increasing number of states it’s no surprise that cannabis bars have become more and more popular at wedding parties.

Unconcerned with sleepy guests or perhaps simply wary of the woes of alcohol, plenty of betrothed couples are more than happy to throw thousands at open pot bars. Forbes detailed one Californian wedding earlier this year where the couple had over $8,000 of donated cannabis available at a fully stocked hash bar for their guests. The bar took up 200 square feet of the shoreline wedding space, “snuggled under a tall tree studded with twinkling lights [with 60 grams of hash]. … The edibles bar featured six kinds of goodies [like] medicated macaroons, brownies, and cookies” along with “medicated rose and lavender cotton candy” and “medicated chocolate-espresso bites.” More edibles were given to guests in goodie bags, and even though the ceremony also featured alcohol the bride explained that she wanted to “[avoid] hard alcohol because she ‘didn’t want to worry about over-intoxication.’” (No word as to whether the couple decided to have CBD on hand for people who were confronted by an overload of THC.)

Not that partaking at the ceremony was mandatory: the groom’s mother, who claims she uses “joints as incense” (uh, sure), told the publication that she enjoyed the party just sitting back, meaning that cannabis-inclined brides and grooms shouldn’t be too concerned about the fuddy-duddy attitudes of their folks. “She said it smelled good,” the bride explained, “like flowers.” All-in-all the pot bar was a success, the bride explained. “If I hadn’t had cannabis I would have been more stressed, but because I did, I could … enjoy the experience.”

Pot Weddings, a Trend Long in the Making

Leafly profiled the practice of weed bars at weddings years ago when the trend first emerged on the mainstream, interviewing two event planners in the Pacific Northwest about a weed wedding that took place in 2015 in an Oregon backyard.

The wedding, which was thrown by a master grower and his bride, involved the couple “picking out different cannabis strains and hand-blown pipes for the [pot] tent.” The couple hired a budtender to oversee “the distribution of product and [make] sure guests were being safe,” a critical resource to have when you’re providing guests with any intoxicant.

[Photo: courtesy of Cannabis Wedding Expo]

Unlike the aforementioned Californian ceremony, this one involved a weed bar that was off to the side and “was marked by a sign with a simple green cross” on a wooden board so as not to distract from the main goings on of the wedding. Instead of making dabbing or pot the focus of the night, this couple decided to make the activity as just another things for guests to explore. “We considered it a huge success when we heard from a guest afterward that they didn’t even know the weed tent was at the wedding,” one of the planners explained. In addition to also having alcohol on hand, the wedding organizers offered transportation to any guests who wanted it—a crucial part of keeping intoxicated guests safe.

The Future of Smoky Weddings

At this point, with interest in pot bars growing, everyone from wedding planners to flower arrangers has been hopping on board the trend. Fast Company profiled pot florist Leslie Monroy, whose company “adorns its bouquets and floral creations with cannabis buds and leaves.”

[Photo: courtesy of Cannabis Wedding Expo]

They spoke to the bud-styler at a Cannabis Wedding Expo in Los Angeles, an indication of exactly how big the industry has grown. The expo featured exhibits from over 30 vendors including My Bud Vase and makers of wedding cakes, edibles, infused cocktails, pot-related centerpieces, and weed goodie bags. “There’s even an all-inclusive cannabis resort in Jamaica hawking high honeymoons,” the article explained. Non-intoxicating CBD wedding cakes are also apparently growing in popularity, indicating that getting guests high isn’t always what planners are gunning for.

What they are racing towards, however, is cash. Lots of it. “The legal marijuana industry garnered $9 billion in sales in 2017. … Combine that with the $55 billion U.S. wedding market, and the opportunities seem sky high.” And so too do the guests.