Reasons Why an Eco-friendly Wedding Is Not a Choice Anymore!
4000 kgs of garbage, a dense cloud of dust and irreparable damage to the hills of Uttrakhand—the recent wedding in Auli is a lesson on why we HAVE to change the way we celebrate our big day. The entire conversation around climate change has revolved around carbon emissions, big industries, government nexus and the possibility of future repercussions. What this recent wedding shows us is how irresponsible actions by individuals can impact the environment around us. And what the news shows us—from the drought in Chennai and floods in Mumbai to the heatwave in Europe—is that the future is here, and the repercussions are now. An eco-friendly wedding is not a choice anymore- it’s a necessity.
So to ensure there is never a repeat of the Auli wedding, here’s how you can have a blast on your big day by having an eco-friendly wedding!
#1. Save trees—go paperless
If a Kindle can replace books, how can anyone be apprehensive about opting for online wedding invitations? They’re paperless, cost-friendly, on your fingertips, editable, easy to send… the list just goes on. There is literally not one reason to prefer printed invites over digital for your eco-friendly wedding! From huge monetary savings to avoiding the complex courier work, the benefits are endless. And you’ll sleep better at night knowing you saved a hundred trees! Our very own couple, Srinidhi and Prashanth opted for digital invites and it really helped them have a waste-free wedding!
#2. Save food—insist on RSVPs
There are many advantages to having your guests RSVP. But the biggest one is that it helps you plan your catering better. In a typical Indian wedding, you’d send invites to anywhere between 300 to 1000 guests. And knowing how many will turn up helps you estimate a number for the caterer to prepare for. Very often one sees food that could feed hundreds be thrown in the garbage. Having a wedding website can help your guests RSVP with just a click and keep track of confirmations, all for free! Here’s our couple, Dhanya and Bharghav who insisted on Rsvp’s by creating a really fun video invitation!
#3. Save the environment—do a gift registry
One of the biggest threats to our world is incessant consumerism and the constant production of products that no one uses! And when does one get the most un-useable products ever? Their wedding day. So vow to not just save your guests’ money but also your own home space and a lot of waste by creating a list of gifts you actually want. And if that’s not enough for all guests to get you, add a charity. So you get what you want, you save the money you would have spent buying these things, and you can make a meaningful contribution towards a cause you believe in, all by simply just creating a gift registry! Here’s our couple Shubha and Arvind, who created a gift registry and had a smart wedding!
#4. Save lives—donate excess food
Wedding buffets in India are designed to have tons of leftovers. So tie-up with an NGO, that will come and collect the leftover food from the venue and use it to feed the less fortunate. What could be a better start to your married life than with the heartfelt blessings of so many people! People are already opting for this. Wedding Wishlist couple Sathya and Ratheesh, had a zero-waste wedding by donating their excess food.
#5. Save the seas—say no to plastics
Whales choking on plastic does not make for a world we want to live in. And you can do your bit by saying no to all single-use plastics on your eco-friendly wedding. From mini water bottles that get tossed around to plastic cutlery, just avoid them all. Pavitra and Suraj strictly adhered to the no plastics rule and truly made a difference at their wedding!
#6. Save communities—source local
From return gifts to décor elements and even food ingredients, try and source as much as you can from your local community for your eco-friendly wedding. Be it handicraft items from small collectives or a menu that leans heavily on locally-sourced ingredients, there is so much you can do here. Not only does it help your community grow by giving them revenue, but it also reduces your carbon footprint when you’re not flying exotic ingredients from all over the world. Praveen and Shreya had a beautiful eco-friendly wedding by sourcing all the items needed locally!
Having an eco-friendly wedding is the need of the hour. So, opt for one and help popularize this necessary trend! Let WeddingWishlist help you plan a smart, waste-free and eco-friendly wedding!
