Indian weddings are known for their extravagant and grand celebratory rituals. In terms of resources, they can be quite excessively demanding; from flowers to lights, to paper-based decorations, and many more, there are a ton of elements adorning Indian wedding venues.
That is precisely why many couples, especially in the US, are now choosing to go green and eco-friendly with their wedding choices. Sustainability being the need of the hour, Indian weddings can definitely be made a lot less demanding of the planet, without compromising on the grandeur or celebrations.
All you have to do is be mindful of the elements you choose for your wedding décor. With the help of authentic and planet-conscious Indian wedding decorators in Chicago, you will definitely be able to achieve the feat.
Here are a few tips and tricks on how you can make your wedding décor sustainable.
Swap basic paper invites with e-invites or seed paper invites
It is the digital age. By all means, you can almost completely eliminate traditional paper-based invitation cards. It helps save a ton of paper and printing resources, and it doesn’t become another one of the many invites that a family casually strews at home. Most families even lose the invite when it is time for the wedding, and end up getting confused with the date, time, and venue details.
With a digital invite, you can be as creative and extravagant as you wish to be. You can edit it easily and share it with your friends and family without the risk of wasting anything. What’s more, e-invites always remain accessible for your loved ones, as it is right there on their smartphones. When it is time to go, all they have to do is refer to the digital media.
If you absolutely must have hard copies of your wedding invitations, use seed paper invites. Seed paper is biodegradable and embedded with seeds; this means you can plant them after the wedding is over, prevent wastage of paper, and do good for the planet.
At ForUrEvents, we have a dedicated team to manage wedding invitations. We can help you with anything from digital invites to seed paper invites and other sustainable options.
Use eco-friendly materials for décor
Decorative elements are notorious for being reckless and insensitive to the environment. This is where you can practice thoughtfulness and mindfulness to achieve a sustainable and environmentally conscious wedding. Choose only eco-friendly materials for all elements of your wedding from the mandap to the decorative drapes and furniture. Use jute or cane-based furniture, unprocessed cotton or linen-based drapes, and more reusable items like steel for ritualistic needs. Use a blackboard and chalk for signboards as they can be reused as well. The options are endless when it comes to sustainable décor. You can even have the most luxurious and extravagant weddings with sustainable products if you put some thought into it.
Experienced professionals in Indian wedding decoration in Chicago, such as ForUrEvents can give you a multitude of ways to practice sustainability, even for destination weddings.
Go Local
When it comes to wedding vendors, go local. It gives indigenous craftsmen and suppliers a fighting chance to make a living while keeping it sustainable as well. Use locally grown plants and flowers or source them from local farms, and rent eco-friendly decorations made from plant-based materials, and other recyclable items made by community artisans or craftsmen to ensure guilt-free indulgence.
At ForUrEvents, we source decorative elements and flowers only from high-quality local farms and cultivators to ensure the utmost freshness. We are very particular about our suppliers as we like to practice fair trade at all times.
Have a day-time wedding
Having a daytime wedding eliminates the need for a lot of lighting and energy resources. The ample amount of light available naturally not only helps save a ton of energy at the venue but also makes your wedding pictures turn out excellent. No artificial light beats the beauty of a naturally lit photo. If possible, opt for an outdoor wedding to make the most of the natural light.
Use dried flower confetti
There was a time when people used plastic-based glitter confetti at weddings. We are glad it is not the scene anymore. Instead of using paper at all, now you can go for dried flower confetti. They are biodegradable and are made from used flowers. Experts in Indian wedding decoration in Chicago can also give you more options on how to make eco-friendly confetti, such as with dried leaves.
If you wish to use fresh flowers, find a way to reuse the flowers once the event is over. You can contact your local NGO or sustainability community to put the used flowers to efficient use and not waste it completely.
Manage wastage more efficiently
We know that there is bound to be a waste of resources at Indian weddings. From excess food to used flowers and garlands, to used ritualistic elements, there is a lot of waste to be handled. One of the best ways to practice sustainability at your wedding is to put this waste to the best use. For example, you can use contacts from your local NGO to utilize used flowers in the making of incense sticks, resin art, etc. You can contact other organizations to use the leftover food. Couples even preserve their own wedding garlands in resin art these days in an effort to be eco-friendly.
Conscious and responsible Indian wedding decorators in Chicago will have the right contacts to help you manage waste more efficiently.
Use reusable flowers or find a way to repurpose original used flowers
Flowers are perhaps one of the most used items at an Indian wedding. To make it sustainable, you can utilize artificial flowers made of fabric by local craftsmen. They can display almost the same characteristics as real flowers and make your wedding look as grand as you wish.
If you absolutely need original flowers at your wedding, try to find a way to repurpose them after your wedding as mentioned before. The aim is to avoid the waste of flowers as much as possible and try to maximize their usage. Authentic Indian wedding decorators can help you with the management post celebrations.
Distribute eco-friendly party favors
Party favors are a must-have element at all types of weddings these days. Instead of offering more food or other thoughtless items, choose to distribute seeds or saplings of beautiful plants and trees. It is one of the best ways to enforce the practice of afforestation among people and it also acts as a take-home souvenir from your wedding. Your family and friends will surely remember your wedding and the responsibility you showed to the planet.
Partner with ForUrEvents for a conscious and gorgeous Indian wedding
As grand and extravagant a celebration as you want your Indian wedding to be, you can also make it responsible and sustainable. Being conscious of the environment we live in, and utilizing resources rationally will certainly pay off, as sustainability will not remain just an option for long before it turns into a necessity.
Count on ForUrEvents, one of the few Indian wedding decorators in Chicago with a full-blown team of wedding service providers, to make your wedding a sustainable one. Contact our team today to discuss your sustainability options. For more updates please check our Instagram page.
