Weddings, in the world we live in, have taken a leap forward and thankfully, they are no more just about glamorous sarees, music and lots of food. Frankly, with the culture shift and booming of new concepts like Sustainable Wedding in India, the lesser the food the better is the go-to mantra. Well, we get it that less food is something the fufaji would protest against but in the end, you can pacify your heart saying that in protecting the environment, you are protecting your fufaji too.
Anyways, coming back to sustainable wedding as a topic, the COVID-19 pandemic, despite being a bad omen, has bestowed upon us several favours too. It has spared us the reasons to have a limited audience wedding, which could either be a destination wedding or a normal wedding in the backyard.
About destination weddings, people have the misconception that they cost a bomb. Honestly, if you call the whole community to the glorious mountains of India to witness your THE day, then firstly, you will have to arrange the commute for them, and secondly, no one is backing down from coming because who would not want to behold those mountains or beaches and dance on London Thumakda amidst the bliss atmosphere? So of course, you will have to spend more.
But on the other hand, if you propose to call a limited audience, the wedding you plan to have could be both; budget-friendly and sustainable.
Talking about destination weddings, here are some of the most popular destination wedding locations in India:
Your feet must be drooling, right? These places, as the name suggests, are some of the toured places in the country. And slowly and steadily, they are also emerging as destinations for weddings in India. However, amidst the boom in celebrities, the ecology of these places have taken a beating.
Thus, it’s high time for us to opt for sustainable means to ensure any place you plan to tie the knot at is not affected environmentally. And this write-up will tell you how to make any wedding sustainable this wedding season.
The first and foremost thing to sort out is a sustainable wedding card. Here, the best option could be a paper seed wedding card. A paper seed wedding card, for those unaware, has a plant seed in them. These cards, if thrown away, will eventually sprout into a plant.
Also, if you are high on a budget or at least good with tools, you can have yourself wedding cards made of wood. You can also simply send a small plant pot with a cloth tied around it, which will have the details of the wedding, and is washable.
Ask the newlywed Jasprit Bumrah and Sanjana Ganesan and they will tell you how pleasing a flower decor could look.
Using in-season flowers for decor, especially if you are planning a destination wedding amidst the hills, has two benefits. Firstly, they look eye-pleasing and secondly, they are the source of income for locals in the region.
You can also use cheap, natural yet sustainable products like tree barks, bamboo, etc. for decoration purposes.
Moreover, the flowers can be chosen as per your zodiac sign too. Consult an astrologer to find out what is your lucky flower as per the zodiac sign and try to include them in the decor.
Live plants are the ones that may or may not have flowers but remain in the pot. Instead of having a single-use floral arrangement, you can re-use the potted plants in your home or just donate them to a worthy cause after the big day.
Weddings are synonymous with lots of packing. And people usually have a habit of packing their belongings in poly bags which needs to change. For the sustainable cause, whatever you plan to use can be best packed in wood baskets, jute bags or cardboard boxes. Also, when purchasing things like ghee or any packed material, try to buy one which is not packed in plastic containers.
You can opt for loose goods and for ritual purposes, can store them in metal vessels like Tamba which, our astrologers suggest, is very auspicious.
India has been ranked 94th out of the 107 countries in terms of hunger. That is also one reason why you need to save food besides doing it for sustainable reasons. First of all, cook only what you think would be needed and the leftover, if any, must be donated to numerous NGOs who work to feed people.
Talking about food, you need to tell people what is what. And the best way to do it is to use chalk and board. Menus and important notices can also be written on the board using chalk.
A huge tree overlooking the mountain under which you can have the varmaala ceremony. What could be more instagrammable than that? Having an outdoor wedding is the best way to lessen the cost and use of unnecessary decor items. If your venue has a big tree, decorate it with quirky elements, or use it as a mandap or a photo backdrop.
As you start for yourself a new life, why not do it by planting a tree? All the couples in the party can join in for a planting ceremony where – our astrologers suggest – they could plant Tulsi and bring the same back home for good luck. Tulsi plant is of great significance and will bring prosperity to your wedding life.
Dining table could have a lot of reusable stuff if you think of it. While many eventually choose flowers as the decor for the dining table, however, we suggest letting the flowers stay intact in the pot for now. Instead, you may use candles and dim the lights to add to the aesthetics. You can also use herbs or potted plants if you are so obsessed with flowers. Also, fruits and vegetables make a nice decor, which you can also munch.
Moreover, edible cutlery has emerged as a great option for anyone trying to be sustainable to the core. They are a tad bit expensive though.
Wedding gifts are a compulsion and thankfully, there are several sustainable wedding gifts that one could give the guests. If you are looking at zero-waste options, then you can consider home and plant a seed and grown shrubs.
Ok fine, we know you have heard a lot about plants so another option for the same is to scout for locally made goods. Travel destinations have so much to offer in terms of their local culture. One can use these as gifts as they would be unique in their own ways.
Feature Image Courtesy – Wedding Wire. For more, follow us on Instagram
6,231