Weddings are one of the most memorable events. People want it to be beautiful, unique and picture-perfect. They want weddings to have the elegance that stays in the memory and photo albums forever. These are the basic and justifiable expectations. However, must enjoyment and creating memories come at a huge cost? I am not specifically referring to the monetary aspect. My argument is that weddings do tend to add to the already deteriorated environment. If you have attended weddings, you must have seen cups, and plates scattered around or dumped in an already-filled dustbin. The decorations using plastic flowers and gifts wrapped in plastic wrappers encourage the waste produced by plastic. But what is the other way to save the environment without compromising the beauty of the wedding? An Instagram user has an answer.
Instagram user Dr Poorvi Bhat posted a reel of her eco-friendly wedding which was no less memorable than any other elegant wedding. From the decorations to the dining- everything was arranged keeping waste management in mind. Bhat said, "I do not know if this is what experts would consider a zero-waste wedding but we did not generate any plastic at the event and did everything we could to minimise our footprint."
The eco-friendly wedding: How was it conducted?
In the reel, Bhat describes all the efforts taken to make the zero-waste wedding. She said that the mandapa was made of sugarcane stems which were later reused by feeding them to the cows. The dining arrangement too was made eco-friendly by replacing cups and plates with banana leaves and stainless steel cutlery. The eco-friendly decoration of the wedding used mango and coconut stems, leaves and twigs which is a sustainable practice. Mango and coconut trees require less water to grow and hence have a low water footprint.
The garlands used in the wedding were innovatively made of flowers sewn together by cotton threads with no plastic materials involved. Even though wastes were generated, they were sustainably composted on the farm where the wedding took place.
Moreover, the gifts given to the guests were enclosed in jute bags which, unlike plastic wrappers, are biodegradable. The water from the hand wash placed for washing hands was stewardly directed towards the greeneries around the wedding venue so that the water could be reused to nourish the plants.
Dr Poorvi Bhat's message to others
In the caption of the post, Bhat credited her mother for the entire arrangement. She wrote, "It was only because of the cooperation of our families that my dream of a zero-waste wedding was possible. My mother was the genius behind it all, she planned and organised the whole event and it was very fulfilling for me that our union happened the way it did."
Bhat ends the reel by saying that she wanted her union to be in unison with Mother Earth. She said, "We wanted to celebrate our union along with the Mother Earth. I am proud to say that the venue was spotless by evening."
Bhat further added a call to action for people to practice zero-waste weddings. She said, "You don't need a fancy wedding plan or a big budget. What you need is a mindset to try and do what is possible. I hope this gives you some ideas."
Bhat's zero-waste wedding kept the smallest part of the weddings to the elegant ones eco-friendly. A few days have passed since the world observed World Environmental Day. Bhat's innovative initiative to be environment-friendly proves her awareness of the individual responsibility of promoting sustainability.
Reaction of the netizens
The internet was amazed by Bhat's efforts to conduct an eco-friendly wedding. Netizens showered appreciation for Bhat's innovation and justified zero-waste wedding as the need of the hour.
One user wrote, "This is how Indian weddings were supposed to be culturally.” Another commented, "Oh mannnn, normalise this!” While the third user said, "This is exactly how I want mine to be. You’re an icon.”
Another user appreciated Bhat for leading by example and said, "So beautiful and such a powerful message. More power to you, this is what cultural (or any) celebrations need to look like. Meaningful and mindful. Rituals to various devatas without honouring bhudevi has always seemed incomplete to me. Thank you for leading by example and hope many more see this and continue low waste living and celebrations!”
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