When you think about your big day, you are overjoyed with the prospect of spending your life with the person you love.
But let’s face it; the prospect of planning a wedding can be overwhelming for a few.
There are a lot of microscopic details that go into planning the event.
First and foremost is your wedding budget – which will dictate the tone of the wedding. And if you are worried about climate change and global warming, you may want your wedding to create as little waste as possible. An eco-friendly wedding on a budget could be an option for you.
Here’s how you can consider making changes in these areas of your wedding to make it eco-friendly:
Eco-Friendly Wedding On A Budget!
Wedding Catering
It’s an open secret — everyone comes to a wedding for the food. Yes, everyone is happy to see you happy on your big day, but let’s face it, your guests are most excited about the food.
Here’s how you can cut back on your carbon footprint, but make sure your guests are happy as well:
- Instead of using steel or copper plates (you’ll need a scarce resource like water to wash and reuse them), consider using traditional alternatives like banana leaves to serve sit-down meals.
- You can also buy plates made from banana leaves, which is a fancier alternative to using banana leaves as plates. These are biodegradable, and cost-effective alternative to plates.
- Instead of plastic glasses to serve water, you can use steel glasses. Plastic spoons can be replaced by steel spoons, which are more cost-effective.
- Serve Hors d’oeuvre with toothpicks and tissues. Skipping the starters will take a load off your wedding budget too.
Wedding Venue
When you are considering the wedding venue, it’s important to keep in mind three key factors:
- Cost of the venue
- Number of people the venue can hold
- Indoor or outdoor venue
The wedding venue will take around half of your wedding budget. If you want to keep the cost down, and make sure you’re choosing an environmentally sustainable option, an outdoor wedding venue is a way to go.
- An outdoor wedding will mean you’re not paying the hefty rent for a banquet hall.
- You can keep your wedding in the evening when it’s cooler, so your guests won’t be sweltering in the heat without the AC.
Wedding Decor
Flowers are generally the first preference for wedding decors. They’re romantic, and they fit into any wedding decor theme. You might think choosing flowers is an eco-friendly option. But if you happen to select a non-seasonal flower, they need to be exported from a different city. This means you’re paying for transportation and creating an unnecessary carbon footprint. Colors and pesticides are sprayed on them to keep them fresh, making them an environmental hazard. Flowers are also a huge expenditure.
Instead of splurging on flowers, here are more eco-friendly and cost-effective alternatives that won’t be very heavy on your wedding budget and ensure that additional decor material is kept to a minimum:
- Candle stands fit into a romantic or vintage themed wedding beautifully. They’re also a great alternative to expensive lighting.
- Fairy-Lights and string bulbs make for great decor when the wedding is outdoors.
- You can use what’s available at the venue to incorporate into the decor. For example, string up a tree with fairy lights on the venue. These use up much less electricity compared to heavy-lit stages and spot-lights!
- Use local and in-season flowers if you must.
- You can also use cloth to decorate the venue. Cloth mandaps are in trend!
Wedding Invites
You might think elegant invites are a must for your guests — they’re going to get Instagrammed and put on stories, so you want them to be perfect. Instead, try these:
- Get a beautiful e-vite, which helps you save paper.
- Get creative with your digital invites. Add videos or fun animations. While you unleash your full creative force, you’re saving the environment too.
Wedding Favours
- Skip the wrapping paper and expensive gifts — your guests will appreciate you if you give them a great wedding gift like seeds, potted plants or herbs.
Good organization is the key to planning a successful wedding. Remember to incorporate these small details in your wedding checklist to ensure that you stay within your budget while being environmentally-conscious.
Note – This article was written by Shiv Nanda. He is a financial analyst who currently lives in Bangalore (refusing to acknowledge the name change) and works with MoneyTap, India’s first app-based credit-line. Shiv is a true finance geek, and his friends love that. They always rely on him for advice on their investment choices, budgeting skills, personal financial matters, and when they want to get a loan. He has made it his life’s mission to help and educate people on various financial topics, so email him your questions at shiv@moneytap.com.
