Between 2019-2020, India lost 14% of its tree cover. What’s more, in 2020, rainforest destruction was up by 12%, resulting in carbon emissions equivalent to the annual emissions of 570 million cars. India was ranked the 5th most polluted country with 76.9 µg/m³ according to a study by u-earth. Amid the rapid deforestation and increasing pollution, millennials and environment-conscious couples are leaning towards a no-paper policy.
Eco-friendly weddings have been in vogue for a while now. When planning a sustainable wedding, you want to make every possible element environmentally friendly. Apart from the sustainable decor and lighting, digital wedding cards are a great option and need attention. Gone are the times when traditional printed wedding cards were the norm. Today, e-invites are widely used by couples to announce their weddings.
Let us understand how to plan an eco-friendly wedding with the best budget-efficient ideas.
Eco-friendly digital wedding invitations – Printed wedding invitations bring along relentless waste of plastic and paper. To avoid these, opt for online wedding invitations and WhatsApp wedding invitations. The endless scope of creativity that accompanies digital wedding invitations make them the preferred Indian wedding invitations for modern-day couples. From personalising the wedding invitation card, sending bulk marriage invitations, and allowing guests to RSVP with just a few clicks, the entire experience of sending online marriage invitations to family and friends is smooth and comparatively stress-free.
Importantly, e-invites have a low cost of making, a global reach with RSVP management and are more visually rich, impactful, and highly effective. Check out Selfanimate‘s vast library of ready-made wedding video invitation templates.
Opt for local venue decorations – Consult your local wedding planners to find the best native wedding decorations available in the city. It could be as simple as replacing the paper or plastic confetti with flower petals.
Remember, being eco-friendly does not mean boring. Rather, it means choosing sustainable and biodegradable materials. For example, flowers are an important component of Indian wedding decor. Source seasonal flowers from local markets, which are more budget-friendly than shipping flowers from across the country.
Elements like brightly coloured fabrics can be used as drapes for a dreamy effect. Brass lanterns, earthen pots, temple bells and hand-written chalkboard signs are reusable elements that make your decor stand out.
Additionally, choosing a wedding venue with its own ambiance would not need too many decor elements. Think of a farmhouse or your home garden or lawn for instance.
Use henna for mehndi – Have you seen any Indian bride without mehndi? Probably not. Undoubtedly, mehndi is a non-negotiable tradition for Indian brides. Choose to go for organic and eco-friendly mehndi that is readily available in the local markets. Alternatively, you can take leaves of the henna plant, grind them well, refine them thoroughly with a strainer and fill it in a cone to draw the designs you want.
It’s an eco-friendly option and gives you a flawless-textured mehndi which you will not get from a chemical-based one.
Use LED lights for decorations – Swap the fancy electricity guzzling flood lights with an eco-friendlier option of LED lights. They do not include harmful chemicals like mercury and are made of recyclable materials. LED lights are available in a variety of shapes, lumens, and sizes. From intricate lanterns that can be hung on trees to small path lights and LED string lights in mason jars, create a warm and inviting atmosphere at your wedding.
LED lights will last thousands of hours, meaning you can even use them at home after the wedding. Decrease the amount of energy your wedding day uses by incorporating conscious elements in your wedding decor.
Avoid loud music – You should enjoy your wedding party, but not by harming the environment. Loud music has a negative impact on humans as well as the wild and marine life. Loud music causes noise pollution which is the root cause of many diseases such as hypertension, hearing loss, dementia, and so on. Although you can absolutely enjoy great peppy music at your wedding, keep the volume at acceptable levels.
Eliminate single-use plastic – Step-up your eco-friendly Indian wedding by eliminating single-use plastic like plastic plates, glasses, spoons, water bottles and artificial flowers. Instead, you could go for beautiful crockery sets that are aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly, and they give the wedding ceremony an elegant touch.
Moreover, Indian weddings by its very nature are extravagant when it comes to food. As a result, sustainability gets lost on the way. So even if you must use something that has to be disposed of, ensure that it is made of biodegradable material.
Conclusion:
This article is aimed at helping you navigate through the world of eco-friendly, sustainable weddings. In addition to following these six most practical tips for an environment-friendly wedding, let your wedding planners know in advance about your specific plans.
Last but not the least, don’t forget to try the sure shot tip to save your environment by using the best Indian wedding invitation video maker Selfanimate for making beautiful online marriage invitations. You can select from any of the pre-designed wedding invitation templates, edit them with your wedding details and make your online wedding invite in a few minutes.
