Are you a 2024 bride and groom-to-be? We have an idea for you. How about an eco-friendly wedding?

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Be it generating paper waste through invites or wastage of tonnes of food at Indian weddings, the environment pays a hefty price for it. Follow these steps and say ‘I do’ to a wedding that not only celebrates love but also respects the planet. And guess what? They are also easy on your pocket!

1. Ditch the paper invite Opt for digital invites over old-school paper ones. Sending a carousel or a sweet video with the wedding details is a popular way of sending an e-invite. If you must do some printed ones, go for seed paper invitations which then grow into plants.

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2. An electric baraat! Often when the baraat walks to the venue, they use a lot of paper glasses and flowers. You can reduce your carbon footprint by choosing to rent electric bikes just like Delhi-based Aditya Aggarwal did.

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It was Aditya’s brother who gave him the idea. He arrived at the venue to marry his bride in an electric bike while his baraatis followed him on their cycles.

3. Minimal and reusable decor Make the decorations a fun process by involving your friends. Repurpose materials like coconut shells, glass bottles, antique vintage pieces, earthen pots, and old wooden furniture, to make DIY wedding decorations.

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For their big day, Prashin Jagger and Deepa Kamath hand-painted welcome boards using an old cardboard box.

4. Seasonal flowers Use local and seasonal flowers for decor, and donate them post-wedding to minimise waste. NIFT graduates Sudarshana and Veena sourced flowers from local farmers for their wedding decor to reduce their carbon footprint.

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5. Rent, reuse, and recycle Consider sustainable options like renting outfits or repurposing heirloom pieces for your big day. Opt for biodegradable or reusable tableware instead of single-use plastic. Bengaluru mothers Anupama Harish and Charulatha R chose to rent steel cutlery for their children’s wedding. They also used banana leaves as an alternative to plastic cutlery.

6. Say ‘no’ to food wastage Indian weddings waste 200-300 kg of food every year. You can reduce this wastage by collecting the food preferences of your guests beforehand. You can also consider donating the leftovers to an NGO.

Newlyweds Veena and Vignesh teamed up with an NGO Robinhood Army to distribute their food leftovers to the less fortunate.

7. Composting your waste The food and the flower waste at your wedding can also be composted. At a wedding organised by Greenmyna, sustainability wedding consultants, a compost pit was placed to collect and compost all the waste.

8. Green gifts For eco-friendly wedding favours, gift seed balls, flower seeds, or potted plants. You can also opt for reusable items like cloth tote bags, metal or bamboo straws, and steel water bottles. 9. Open venues Choosing to have a day wedding at an open venue can help save a lot of electricity. You can consider opting for a venue that has lots of trees and shade to keep the heat away.

10. Plant a tree to celebrate When you are done planning your sustainable wedding, you can plant a tree to commemorate your big day and can also encourage your guests to do the same. Actors Rakul Preet Singh and Jackky Bhagnani recently set an example by planting a tree at their wedding.

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