So many of us grow up dreaming about our wedding day. We dream about how magical it would be, how beautiful we would look, and how grand the entire set-up would be. However, in all of our wedding-related fantasies, sustainability and charity hardly factor in at all. To be fair, why should they? Your wedding is the one day where you’re allowed to be selfish, extra, and make it all about you. Why should you have to downsize one of your biggest dreams to make the world a better place? Turns out, you don’t! Sustainability does not always mean “less” and “low-key”.
In fact, here is a list of 7 small wedding decisions that you can take that will still lead to a big difference-
1. Invitations
In this day and age, where most family and friends are spread out across the globe, digital invitations are key. They help you reach everyone in time and save so much paper. Plus with digital invitations, you can add your favorite song as background music and multiple other effects that make the invitation much more special than a printed one. If you are still a sentimentalist at heart and want to send out printed invitations, then we recommend you print your invitations on handmade paper. Aside from looking elegant and classic, handmade paper is much more environmentally friendly than other types of printing paper since it is recycled. Also, if you’re worried about security or gatecrashers, you can ask your guests to bring their invitations to the wedding so you can collect them and recycle them yourselves.
2. Work with Your Destination
Ideally, the most eco-friendly wedding to have is one at home with a small group of friends or a local one that saves guests from flying thereby reducing carbon emissions. However, with today’s increasing trend of destination weddings, it has become harder to do so and that is alright. What is not alright is also flying in flowers, food, and decor to make the wedding feel and look like it would have back home. There is a reason you have chosen a particular destination— for its beauty and uniqueness. Don’t masquerade that with big trusses and tents that make the wedding look the same way it would in your hometown. Work with the natural beauty of the place as opposed to against it. Use quality local flora and produce instead of importing it. Even in terms of entertainment, you can employ local singers, artists, or dancers instead of flying in performers from your home country. Not only will this make your wedding experience extremely unique and different, it will also help reduce your carbon footprint by so much.
3. Flowers
In certain destinations like deserts, you may not have the option to use local flora since there are not too many options to choose from. However, instead of flying in fresh flowers from different places which will anyway wilt very quickly due to the heat, choose high-quality artificial flowers that will last you for along time and are recyclable. You can also work with your wedding planner to bring in other creative decor alternatives like local artisanal weaves or accents of local spices and produce to add to the centerpieces instead of just banking on flowers. That way, even if fresh flowers are a must for you or you’re not too keen on artificial flowers, you can use a much smaller quantity. Ultimately, if you do end up using a lot of fresh flowers then you can ask your event planners to tie-up with multiple NGOs that collect wilted flowers to make incense sticks or handmade paper out of them instead of just disposing of them.
4. Fabric
Avoid creating separate wedding lounges for your functions because they take up so much fabric and completely overshadow the natural beauty of your wedding venue. Plus, since people are so busy mingling with each other, they hardly sit in them and this makes them even more wasteful. If, in spite of omitting these lounges, your wedding decor still consists of a lot of fabric then do consider sourcing all your fabric locally and tying up with an NGO before-hand so that you can ultimately donate all that fabric to make clothes for the impoverished and homeless.
5. Food
These days, weddings have the most lavish buffet spreads that lead to unbelievable wastage. It would be a good idea to have a sit downdinner with a couple of fixed courses, especially for an intimate destination wedding, to reduce the food quantities while giving a unique feel to your wedding. If you still want to offer a buffet selection then you can try alternatives like smaller live cookout stations or flying buffets that don’t require a lavish range of dishes but still draw attention to the food. Also, do remember to use as much local produce as possible and ask your wedding planners to tie up with an organization that collects leftover food from weddings to feed the homeless.
6. Cutting Out the Extra “Extras”
No one is asking you to have just one event at your wedding or to serve just one dish but recently, weddings have become so over-the-top that there is some wisdom in cutting out the extra “extras”. Instead of keeping separate food hampers in people’s rooms which hardly anyone finishes by the end of the wedding, you can simply have a common room where you can keep all kinds of snacks, coffee, and other local food items like fruits, beloved staples, and the like, to promote the community. Similarly, you can cut down on personalizing food wrappers, event signages, wedding giveaway packets, etc. because these are things that get thrown away very quickly. Honour your wedding logo and your names by saving it for only those things that will last or be cherished as opposed to being discarded immediately.
7. Wedding Favours
These days, people give out different gifts to their guests during different wedding functions. Instead of mass buying these gifts from commercial dealers, it would be a good idea to source reusable and one-of-a-kind articles from local artisans or non-profit organizations. Not only will your gifts be unique and sustainable, they will also help promote the community and boost the local economy instead of putting money in the pockets of commercial giants.
About Saffron Strings:
Introducing Saffron Strings, your premier wedding planning event company based in Mumbai, co-founded by the visionary Neha Seth Arora. At Saffron Strings, the brand places you at the heart of your celebration, meticulously noting your desires to transform them into reality. Their comprehensive range of services ensures that every aspect of your special day reflects your unique personality. They ignite creativity and provide unwavering guidance throughout your journey. With a commitment to curating unforgettable experiences, they infuse each event with creative flair and stay on the cutting edge of global trends. Our approach is rooted in curiosity, authenticity, and, above all, love. Saffron Strings bring your dreams to life, because they do it with love, for love!
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