Have you disposed of all your plastic tupperwares and stacked up on steel or glasswares? Do you hand over your white and green Starbucks logo engraved stainless tumbler, every time you order a Java Chip Frappuccino? Are you gradually cutting down or have totally gotten rid of your non-vegetarian food intake? 

Well then hello, if you are a long sprint athlete who has covered a large distance of switching from fast fashion to sustainable clothing, this blog will help you bring the same sustainable spirit in your wedding plans.

As the need and search for sustainable options for everyday living has risen up so has the need for green, sustainable wedding celebrations. We have curated a list of everything to sort out for your lush green, sustainable wholesome wedding bash.

Guest List To The Tee

Sustainable and big fat Indian brouhaha-weddings don’t go hand in hand at all. So, the first course of action will be to produce a guestlist. Make sure you keep your priority right. Set a target for the number of people you are happy to accommodate at the wedding.  Friends or acquaintances rarely contacted should definitely not make to the list. Scrutinize your list again and again, so that it meets your target number. This’ll really be helpful in having an intimate marriage and will also let you nurture a deep relationship with people who mean the most to you. 

Option of a virtual marriage is still extremely popular. It gives you more space to connect with far-off friends and share your most personal experience with them. Virtual guest party is still a sustainable way to socialize and stay in touch. As we rampant head into the Metaverse era, virtual social functions aren’t going to be an unfamiliar site.

Waste Planning

Waste planning will be a difficult and important task. Weddings are synonymous with food waste. Almost all weddings generate a humongous amount of food leftovers and prepared food. You will easily find on a google search that approximately 40 percent of the food prepared at a wedding venue is wasted and thrown away after the wedding ends. And India’s estimated 10 million weddings a year contribute to this huge food wastage.

The veritable nature of Indian weddings  is geared towards waste. So, if you want to have a green marriage in India, you have to be prepared with several sustainable cleanup options.

Fixed Menu

Select menu items that match you and your guests preferences. Do not be enamored by the archaic idea of grand food variety = a successful wedding event. Please keep your good options limited and focus on quality. Be very conscious and strict about what you order and how much you order. Do not let your guard down for the sake of ignorant food gobbling guests who judge you for the variety of menu. 

Fine the waste generators 

Yes, we are going hard-core, after all sustainability needs the same dedication that you put into your boardroom events. Request your guests to choose the exact amount of food that they can relish on completely. Excess intake or leftovers should not be excused. A fine of a few hundred, or demanding a funny, embarrassing dance from the food waster, should be a fun reprimand. 

Wedding Venue

When you start with wedding planning, the first course of action is choosing the marriage venue. For a green marriage, don’t look out for upmarket hospices, halls etc. rather search for a location nearby outdoors, where the sunlight can act as natural lightning.

Caterers and Decorators

Ask your caterers to prepare food only through locally sourced constituents. Not only is this more sustainable, it is also fresher, earthy and eco-friendly. In addition, make sure that your caterer does not use single-use plastics at the marriage and tie up with an NGO to contribute the redundant food. There’s always tons of leftover food at a marriage, and voluntarily donating unserved leftover food on your big day is a good feeling you should definitely indulge in. 

There are numerous NGOs that come to collect and distribute the food at zero cost, so keep a list prepared beforehand and contact them in advance. Opt for locally sourced flowers and shops for your decoration. Skip all the paper and plastic. Flashback party poppers also fall into the non-sustainable budget. 

Upcycled Wedding Attire

As much as you fancy the idea of an exquisite, new wedding dress, choosing to re-wear your mother’s, aunt’s or grandmother’s dress would not be a bad idea at all.

You can revamp and recycle the old dress, stitch a few sequin patches, get it embroidered or use different parts of the cloth to make up your own dress.

If the idea sounds too much of a work, then check out the collection of Sabyasachi and Kanjivaram. Another popular option is Anita Dongre for sustainable bridal wear. Her collections are synonymous to sustainable fashion and the designs are genuinely amazing. 

Favor rented wedding dresses, over a brand new wedding dress, that might end up serving as a debt over the years. 

For jewelry, select the pieces you can rent or go for your ancestral jewelry. For makeup, opt for organic and atrocity-free products and brands like Ruby organics, Boutique, Lotus Herbals etc. Choose cruelty friendly products, you can find a lot of homegrown beauty manufacturers selling online with a little research.

Wedding Invites

Online wedding invites are the best choice for no paper waste goals. They cost absolutely nil when compared to printed wedding cards. They are also very easy to distribute and it’s really easy and quick for the guests to RSVP.

Also, there are so many interesting options to choose from like animated cards, photo cards etc. If you want a more inclusive connection with the guests, create a wedding website that has all the information about the Day. Ask for an RSVP, this will save you a whole lot of time in selecting the menu and giving food orders.

Revamp Wedding Rituals

Rituals are the crux of Indian marriages. Devouring on locally sourced foods and ingredients as well as in-season flowers is the best option.

Avoid plastic water bottles. Serve water in small glass bottles that guests can just refill themselves. Or give them a return gift as small glasses that they can carry back home.

Else, you can keep kullads and matkas at the venue. The food can be served in banana leaves and other non-plastic utensils. 

Try to get the entire guestlist involved in plant tree saplings in open areas. A true return gift at the wedding!

Buffet is absolutely forbidden in your sustainable plan. So, skip the buffet- style menu at all costs. 

Wedding Gifts

Since your whole marriage is about to be sustainable, let your wedding gifts and return gifts fall under the same category. Gift your guests saplings or outsourced healthy foods or decorated glass jars or holders. Definitely opt for recycled paper bags. 

The point to keep in mind is, every part of the wedding plan should focus on keeping your carbon footprint clean.

From plant based menus, plan each step of your sustainable wedding with caution. Few plans are bound to be hampered by unavailability of sustained options or big flaw in the general wedding economic belt but do not back down. Constantly look for alternatives and get rid of ideas if possible. Remember your wedding day is all about celebrations and fun with your loved ones.