Your guide to a luxurious and sustainable wedding

IN ALL the excitement, it’s easy to overlook the impact a wedding has on the environment. While everyone is making their big fat wedding dreams come true, they are also adding to their carbon footprint and undue energy consumption.

Modern couples are now looking for ways to have a wedding with an environmentally conscious mindset. It’s become about incorporating less waste, locally sourced and seasonal food, and natural materials over the use of plastic.

Mindful wedding planning and decor includes the use of recycled paper and goods along with ecofriendly venue needs.

Check out this quick guide by Prerana Agarwal Saxena of Theme Weavers Designs, that will help you to achieve an environmentally conscious wedding without compromising on luxury:

Choose locally sourced material to uplift artisans

Sustainable can be luxurious too – incorporate some native flavour into the decor and theme. With the use of locally sourced materials and local artisans coming into play, the wedding instantly becomes sustainable.

Include the work of local vendors to ensure minimal packaging requirements, saving on unnecessary plastic and lamination.

It also decreases the need for transporting elements from other cities and hence lowers the carbon footprint. For instance, at one of our weddings, we made use of sand art for a set-up in Jodhpur, India.

This helped promote local work while also being environmentally friendly with zero wastage of other materials.

Say yes to recycling

Be mindful and avoid the use of plastic and other nonrecyclable materials in decor wherever possible. It can be a small step such as making a conscious switch from plastic water bottles to copper jugs or glass bottles.

Alternatively, artificial floral decor can minimise the wastage produced using real flowers. This recyclable decor is then donated to various NGOS, further ensuring sustainable use of resources. Such steps, however small they might be, help keep the environment free from the release of any additional carbon footprint.

Go for zero-waste wedding decor

Make use of fabric as it enhances the elegance of the wedding, while being sustainable. Include vibrant colours apt to the theme of the wedding and bring in bright sprightliness with breathable fabrics.

Be sure to use LED lights which help save power. They can be incorporated as string lights or be used in passageways with innovative decor items. While conserving energy they can bring in soulful energy for nighttime decor.

Choose virtual invitations, keeping up with the digital times.

Make a conscious choice of plated dinner menus rather than a buffet as they allow less wastage of food and ensure enough food for guests. Include sustainable gifting Sustainable wedding favours are gifts that grow. Offering a plant or a succulent is a great idea.

You can also gift recycled organic fabrics or cutlery or zero-waste kitchen and bathroom essentials for guests to use in their homes as some gifting options.

By applying the values of sustainability, you can reduce the energy consumed and the resources used as much as possible.

Go ahead and have a luxurious zero-waste wedding and navigate into the world of green living! | IANS