The whole idea of getting decorative paper invites printed is futile. We cut all those trees and make paper to send the invites which are later thrown away with carelessness; the problem is that we fancy this wastage with pride. But we definitely can replace it with online wedding invites, where you will still be able to invite your family and friends! Also, you can ask your other guests to attend your wedding digitally by going live” When tradition calls for it and you still wish to stick to a physical invite this is how you can make it eco-friendly! Opt for  Plantables Marigold Seed Paper invites or invites printed on recycled paper. Ask whether you can avail of the option of vegetable dye inks to minimize the environmental impact of printing a vast bulk of non-biodegradable invites

We know that big fat Indian and eco-friendly weddings don’t go hand in hand at all. As traditional Indian weddings are generally large events, you may find yourself inviting people that you don’t even know particularly well, which might be quite taxing. So, the first move is to create a guest list. If you have spoken to them in three years and they’re not related to you, make sure they don’t make it onto the guest list. That’ll really be helpful in having an intimate wedding and will also let you have a ceremony with people who mean something to you.

Tips 

Different events = different guests. I’ve been to a few weddings where the guest list has been divided and it works a treat. So invite a selective list to the wedding and then another selection of guests to the evening reception.

You can also utilize the text on the cards to implore your guests into the following suit with your vision. After sharing the requisite details, add in a line encouraging the guests to carpool when traveling to the venue. You can also choose to ask for eco-friendly gifts or forgo them completely to minimize the usage of paper and plastic.

An outdoor wedding space will be a fantastic idea, like on a farm, beach, woodland, garden, or backyard, where the sun can provide all of your lighting and trees making it up for the ambiance it needs. This way, you can cut down on the consumption of manmade energy, like lesser usage of electricity.

While destination weddings can be a major dig, you can leverage it with the available amenities of the location; for example, sourcing flowers, food, and other arrangements with minimal decorations from the local market. Avoid multiple locations to dial back the fuel emissions of transportation from one place to the next. When finalizing the venue, look for options with solar panels, energy-efficient layouts, and a robust recycling system if possible.

Tip: Look for Built-In Decor 

While booking your ceremony and reception sites, look for spaces that offer details that fit your wedding style. This will save you cash and the earth’s resources too.  gardens give you instant floral decor, and greenhouses feel lush and green without adding cut flowers.

We all talk about eco-friendliness for the sake of fads. It’s hard to implement unpopular opinions unless they turn into trends, isn’t it? We are taught and told about the 4 R’s -Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Refuse. Firstly, we better refuse to use ornate drapes, excessive lights, and furniture. Then, we can also look for reusable decors such as papercraft, Wooden Signboards, and Rustic Chalk Board, instead of printed signboards.

One enthusiastic about art can also go for old and used car parts, scrap metal, and wood from the junkyard and get local artists to create innovative installations for a creative setup. Also, several five-star properties now offer sustainable wedding packages too. Some Hotels chain, for instance, uses reusable decor.

you can display vintage license plates from cities or states with special meaning to them in slices of fallen wood for table markers. Or place a horseshoe or something that represents good luck at each setting.

Tips: Use Potted Plants with flowers to magnify the floral décor. Or rather choose a location with fields or trees of flowers or a line of flowers grown on the borders of the ground.

Food and beverages contribute to the majority of the waste generated during weddings; such behavior has been normalized. How about we stay ahead of the curve by hiring a waste-conscious caterer? Other options can be contacting certain organizations such as Feeding India, and Adgreen, who collect the leftovers from weddings and redirect them to the needy.

Opt for reusable (also, recyclable) cutlery and crockeries, like steel, glass, and porcelain. It would give a nice traditional touch if you have the food served on banana leaf mats that can later be donated for composting, or later get used as fodder for cattle.

If it is a destination wedding, you can arrange local cuisine and traditional dishes at your buffet. Otherwise, look for caterers who source organic ingredients from the local market, produced ethically, or from fair trade; if possible, a vegan menu works awesome too.

Tip

• Buy directly from local growers, the food needs less time in the fridge and less packaging to stay fresh, so you’re being especially kind to Mother Earth, too. And since the food is coming from a shorter distance, less fuel is needed to transport it. Really want to impress your guests? Supplement your table decor with herb plants in Tabletop Terracotta planters with a Plate, like coriander or green chili, that guests can add straight to their dishes.
• Reduce Food WasteOpt for plated dinners to avoid excess food, and if you do go for a buffet, speak to your caterer about saving leftovers.  Many food banks across the country will pick up chilled leftovers of unserved food from your rehearsal dinner or reception. Speak with your caterers in advance so they can make the necessary arrangements. If they have done this before, they may know just who to call. 

Add a touch of authenticity to your wedding favors. Search for something specific to the locality of the venue, or something that carries uniqueness, meaning, or usefulness. It can be locally sourced but Premium Coffee,  Organic Honey or Spices Eco-Friendly Gift Box, or  Crafts Home  Decor are made by traditional artists. Look for things that can double up as house decor too, for example, Agni Solar Lantern,  Indoor Plant with Self Watering Pot, Hand Made Wooden Tabletop Jar. Going for edible favors is a sweet way to show gratitude; inquire about homemade treats from local businesses, like muffins, cookies, chocolates, etc. You might also bump into fair-trade tea or coffee blends, Handmade Bath Soap and Organic Bath Salt, and Recycled Bottle Platter, which in a way are incredible as well as beneficial for the environment. One can choose beautiful garments or cloth from stores that sell clothing made from organic materials and dye; or some local traditional artisans who make special crafts and embroidery on clothes, handcrafted Wool Shawls, and Organic Cotton Bedsheet.  

Tips 

Choose thoughtful wedding favors like donations for old-age homes, orphans, and the welfare of society amongst a plethora of options that are out there. Be productive and responsible as a couple, that does well not just for themselves but also chooses to share love and compassion with people and nature.

We all spend hours and bucks heavily on wedding clothes, accessories, and makeup to make it all near perfect for that one special moment. But does the whole materialistic layer matter when you look into the eyes of your lover, taking the vows? Rather than investing in a million-dollar wedding dress, walk the aisle in your mother’s or father’s wedding dress/ suit. You can surely adjust the size or re-make it. 

Tip:

 If you prefer to wear a brand-new dress, try to find a designer who uses sustainable fabrics.

An heirloom that will anyway make your new journey a million times special! Obviously, tailor-made jewelry sets are a fine idea, but flaunting your family jewels is a thing. Also, break the wheel that the bride must always wear something new. And you can try some organic and natural products for make-up though. 

Tip:

You can also switch up your approach to finding a ring by going vintage. Instead of hitting up your nearest jeweler, consider reusing or recycling a ring. Propose with a family heirloom, like Prince Harry did with Meghan Markle’s engagement ring, or shop at an estate jewelry store for one-of-a-kind pieces. You can even melt down the gold and refine it—yes, that’s a real thing, and it’s sustainable—or set an existing diamond into a new band.

Sitting arrangements include chairs and tables which can be easy to arrange in metal and wood.  Make sure you serve drinks in glasses of steel, ceramic, or glass; and keep Signoraware Radiant Glass Water Jug or bottles of water on tables which will be cut down on plastic glasses and bottles. One thing you must take care to not let your purpose get defeated is to pack the favors in paper or cloth bags and minimize or eradicate the use of plastic. Collect the plastic covers, boxes, and polythene that come out of the gifts and other wrapping materials for food storage and dispose of them properly or give them away for recycling. Also, remember to empty and sort the waste from the dustbins at the end of the wedding. It would look classy and standard if you do away with the plastic décor. 

Tips 

Disposable and Biodegradable Drinking Straws, Compostable Party|Plate servers, vessels, and utensils can be a great way to stay eco-friendly. We love Mozaik  Eco-Friendly Plant-Based products for their all-natural compositions, which make them suitable for composting and thus perfect for food trays, favor wrappings, and to-go boxes

Search for sustainable florists they mostly work with small local farms or grow flowers themselves, reducing the need to transport blooms long distances, while  Some florists will even compost your greens after the wedding, so be sure to ask about the options to make appropriate arrangements.

Tip :

Consider potted flowers, such as orchids or spray roses, or plants, including herbs and even trees, that can be reused at home, on a patio, or transplanted to the garden after the event or donating them to a nursing home, hospital, or shelter.

Light the Lanterns on Your Patio or Porch, Lanterns set the mood for a romantic evening—and cut down on electricity—by lighting your reception tables with candles.

Tips:

keep wedding electricity & fuel usage down by day Mehndi and Wedding ceremonies are held outdoors in “good weather” For India, that means NOT in the summer! Events that happen at night use up a lot of electricity and precious fuel (diesel-run generators!) because it has to be well-lit. While a Cocktail/Sangeet event can’t be held during the day, your Mehendi and Wedding ceremonies can easily be held during the daytime. Of course, try booking an outdoor location in good weather so that you’re not using heaters or ACs to keep the guests comfortable.’

We all enjoy holding our hands and poses for Polaroid pictures and albums; we look at them as making memories but we often forget that we waste paper and use plastic in the ‘n’ number of albums we get printed. Let’s just make it more significant and sustainable.

Supposedly, if you have set up a nice photo booth, hire a photographer who shall take Polaroid pictures of each set of guests and give them the memory of the wedding on the spot itself. 

Tips

You can make a nice short film at the wedding and make the albums digitally; you can later send them to the guests on WhatsApp. Do make moments more than the pictures!

Celebration and partying go wild when all your people come together.  This time around, get in touch with a company that will take care of the waste for you! Give out the direction to a company that will not only ensure to pick up the wasteful giveaways usually found after a wedding, but also takes these wasteful dumps to a recycling factory for being repurposed! 

It is understandable that bursting crackers is a public way of celebrating events. But isn’t it childish? We have come across a multitude of ‘Baraat’ processions that result in remains of firecrackers and also, beer bottles lying aimlessly on the roads, which is very irresponsible of us as adults. Switch to leaves for showering because why not! Remember when you used to walk beneath the trees and the leaves would fall and it would feel all so romantic? 

You can use flower showers or Flower Seeds too, which is already considered customary and symbolic. One of the best ideas can be lighting candles.

It is all for one occasion, of course, you want it to go incredible. But why waste money when you can rent things and still keep the integrity of the occasion intact? Rent things that are non-disposable, and reusable; like—the location and the stay, linens, plates, utensils, and decorations. You can also rent your wedding dress or suit. Laundering and washing services are usually included in the rental price, making this route a win-win; you can include renting the carpooled transport for the guests and reducing carbon footprints.  

Tips :

instead of paper napkins, rent linen napkins, tablecloths, and runners. Some venues even provide linens as part of the event space charge. And if you’re going for straws in mixed drinks, pick paper over plastic, which decomposes easily.

Bring sustainability into the gift wrapper.“Single-use anything is not good for the environment, a particular packing of a wonderful token of love is about blessings and new beginnings produces an enormous amount of waste.

Ask for either unwrapped gifts sent directly to your home, or Bamboo Basket or  Linen Gift Bag, to minimize wasted wrapping paper and ribbon. It will automatically upgrade your whole wedding look and reduce landfill waste.