Give weddings an eco-friendly touch

Sustainable and plastic-free was the brief for actor Dia Mirza’s wedding, which took place recently. An environmentalist who’s always at the forefront when it comes to eco-consciousness, she stuck to eco-friendly decor. “Dia had a policy of no waste by recycling all the material used. The venue was the garden of her home. We wanted to create an Indian garden vibe with an old-world rustic charm. Being an intimate wedding, it was all about handing out personalised items to guests,” says Aashna Saran, founder of Aash Studio, in-charge of decor at the event.

Madhuri and Aditya used tulsi varmala, which later became dry powder for their tea.

Wedding planners believe the pandemic has made people realise the importance of a clean, healthy environment. “During the pandemic, youngsters realised each individual’s impact on the environment, and got to see it from different perspectives while being holed up at home. This has had a profound impact on people, and many now have knowledge about sustainability and are willing to spread its purpose and path. We’ve organised many weddings, and sustainability remains the focus for youngsters,” says Namha Malhotra, founder of Castles & Coasters.a wedding planning company.

Old newspapers were used to decorate the garden, the venue of Madhuri and Aditya’s wedding.

If you want to plan an eco-friendly wedding, you may take cues from Delhi-based Madhuri Balodi and Aditya. “We wanted our wedding to be sustainable, as we believe in reusing instead of buying. Our basic idea was to spend less and enjoy more, without adding wastage or harming the environment. The wedding venue was the garden of my uncle’s house, and it was decorated using old bottles and newspaper buntings. We sent out e-invites, and the baarat came on cycles. One of my friends gifted us tulsi varmala, which later became dry powder for our tea. Also, plant saplings were distributed at the end of the wedding,” says Balodi.

Aakriti and Prateek used a boat with oars rather than a motor boat for bidaai to avoid any pollution.

Another such eco-friendly wedding was organised by Aakriti and Prateek, in the midst of an oak forest in Uttarakhand. “The aim of our wedding was to keep most of the decor sustainable and eco- conscious, and we managed to do that. We sourced locally as much as possible and eliminated the use of any single-use plastic. For example, the grass, greens and florals that were used in our decor was mostly sourced locally, from in and around Naukuchiatal. We used minimal real flowers and went for artificial ones instead, to avoid wastage of flowers. All our printing was done on either recycled craft paper or handmade paper, and most of the linen and textile for seating was made from existing raw material that our wedding designer had. For smaller things such as coffee tables and pathways, we used crates and pallets that had been recycled. The groom came by foot to avoid any pollution/animal cruelty. For the bidaai, we used a boat with oars rather than a motor boat. Also, we reused all the flowers used at the wedding, in the after party,” says Aakriti. Aash Studio had done the wedding arrangements.

Author tweets @ruchikagarg271

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