A wedding is a joyous occasion marked by glamour and celebrations. But how many of us really give a thought to the sustainability aspect of a wedding? In the current day and age that we live in, our environment needs every bit of help it can get. With some smart thinking you can easily make your wedding a sustainable event and do your bit for the environment. And no, we’re not talking about toning down your celebrations.

Sustainability doesn’t mean scrimping on your happiness. It is all about giving more thought to smaller things that add up to make a big difference. If you have to make your wedding colourful, make that colour green. Choose carefully and take responsible decisions. It is easier than you think, if you take it one step at a time.

Choose a venue with a view
Your choice of wedding venue can have a significant green impact on your wedding. A venue that is close to where all your guests located will appreciably reduce the carbon footprint of your special day. It’ll be more convenient for your guests and will be easier to handle. The next thing to look for in a venue is outdoor space. Weather permitting, an outdoor venue has a number of advantages that make it a sustainable choice. For one thing, you’ll need less decor.

An outdoor venue also comes with plenty of natural light that will add a beautiful glow to the proceedings. More than monetary savings, you will be saving electricity! Also, natural light is the best for photos. There’s an even bigger advantage of opting for an outdoor venue, plenty of fresh air. As winter is the great Indian marriage season, an outdoor venue will give you a break from air conditioners and let you enjoy the refreshing outdoors on your special day.

Small ideas have big impacts
Indian wedding invites are veritable works of art with a distinct personality. In keeping with the times, a digital wedding invite can convey the same message more responsibly. Everybody has a smartphone these days and e-invites are a practical option. You save paper and get instant RSVPs! You could go one step further and create a website which can be an interactive hub for all wedding updates. You can even host a live feed of your wedding for the guests who cannot make it to the event.

But if you really want to be traditional with a printed invite, use plantable paper which has seeds embedded within it. Once its work is done, it can be “planted” into a pot of soil. The paper bio-degrades and the seeds within grow into a flowering plant. Not only is it more environment-friendly, it is also a memorable gift. Instead of the traditional religious emblems on the invite, opt for more contemporary designs to make it easier to recycle. Give out indoor plants or succulents as return gifts or choose gifts made from recycled materials for a unique memento.

Go local with your decor
Give your wedding decor a real personality with elements from the local culture. It will surprise you interesting results! As a happy side-effect, you’ll be helping local artists with your patronage while promoting traditional arts and handicrafts of the region. Instead of ordering exotic species from far-off places, use flowers that are found in the region. Take it one step further and rent planters from local nurseries instead of having flowers plucked for your wedding.

Coupled with the locally-themed decor, they will make for a seamless organic experience, and you get to save several thousand flowers. Once they have played their part in your wedding, they can be returned to be reused again. The ones that cannot be reused can be composted. It is one more way for you to do your part in helping the environment.

Food is precious
Wedding food is a decadent selection of choicest dishes that tantalise the taste buds. It is a mix of different cuisines offering a variety of tastes, smells and textures. Which means there’s always food left over at the end of a wedding. Do the responsible thing and have this food distributed among those who need it. There are a number of organisations that work specifically in this sphere. More blessings are always welcome.

So there you have it! We’ve covered all the aspects of a wedding where you can be sustainable without taking away anything from your day of love. These are our recommendations, but you can come up with more. Share your ideas here and help someone in planning their wedding in a more responsible way.