Stress & Plastic-Free — Story of an Inspiring Indian Wedding

“I did my own wedding makeup!” This may be sacrilege for a millennial bride but Pavithra & Suraj’s unconventional decisions made their indian wedding a truly inspirational one!  

Clad in a pretty Kasavu saree, the couple had an intimate temple indian wedding in Kerala. They chose to forego the big fat Indian wedding in favour of a ceremony that was small in scale but massive in the memories it created. Pavithra & Suraj met at work, and eased into the decision of getting married half a decade later. From taking a plastic-free stand to the bride using vegan makeup, and guests contributing to an NGO on their behalf, every small decision left a lasting impact.

Going plastic free!

Plastic use is so vast in the world today that it permeates every part of our lives. For Pavithra & Suraj, who have very strong opinions about this, the idea of doing a plastic-free indian wedding was nonnegotiable. “We wanted to showcase how one can celebrate their big day without using plastic, and that’s how this decision came about,” says Pavithra. From replacing plastic water bottles with steel tumblers to using recycled paper for their invitations, every decision was taken through this filter.

All about causes

In addition to saying no to plastics, the couple took a stand on many other causes they believed in. “All our return gifts were vegan—we gifted vegan sweets and cosmetics that were not tested on animals”. In the same vein, Pavithra also decided to do her own makeup. “Makeup artists these days use animal-tested products for their work. I chose to use cruelty-free cosmetics instead, a decision that left me with little choice but to do my own makeup.”

The couple was also very clear that their zero-waste wedding extended to wedding gifts. “A lot of friends asked me what I wanted for my wedding, which I thought was great because I didn’t want them to waste money and time on gifts I wouldn’t use. The decision to create a wedding gift registry stemmed from this,” she says. The couple’s wedding gift registry consisted of things they would need for the new home, cash contributions and charities. They requested guests to contribute towards organizations that help underprivileged girls and children with disabilities to get an education.

The challenges

“To be very honest, there was nothing that posed as a real challenge. Our parents, friends and relatives were so supportive. In fact, our friends and cousins abroad were thrilled with the idea of a registry. They could get us a gift they knew we’d love without having the stress to carry it all the way.”

With so much waste that goes into indian weddings and with most of them being big budget affairs, weddings like this are examples of how you can celebrate while being environment-friendly & waste free. Create you Free Gift Registry