When wedding planner Minal Bhatnagar married environmentalist Vimlendu Jha, it was bound to be an earth-loving celebration. Minal tells us how they made it happen, and how you can too.

Did you always want to have a green wedding?

I’ve been a wedding planner for more than a decade, and over the years have witnessed such immense wastage during the making of a large-scale event in India, through use of non-biodegradable products and leaving large carbon footprints, that my husband and I were very clear to change this entire process and plan a zero-waste, eco-friendly, green wedding.

When tying-up with vendors and suppliers, did they find it easy to understand and implement your ideas?

It was indeed an unheard-of concept, to begin with. Our guiding thought was reusable, recyclable and biodegradable, so we asked our vendors only for elements keeping these key factors in mind. Being a wedding designer, we used some of our own props that were ethically sourced and are generally reused. All the textile, décor and props came from various warehouses of our vendors and were reused or recycled. The flowers used were potted plants or seasonal flowers and leftover flowers were composted on site.

What are the elements you considered while planning your green wedding?

Here is a list of things we took into account:

• We sent out only e-invites. Any printing that took place was on seed paper.
• My husband and I both wanted to control the carbon footprint of our wedding and therefore hosted a rather intimate affair with only near and dear ones invited for it.
• We pledged to equalize the carbon footprint, caused by the transport of our wedding, by planting 10,000 trees of native saplings. This is still in process and will be actualized during the monsoon period.
• Décor was an element that we took very seriously into consideration and, as mentioned above, made sure to follow certain guidelines.
• Guests were requested not to bring any presents wrapped in plastic.
• Our giveaways or wedding favours were seed bombs and air-purifying plants potted in planters made of waste glass bottles.

What about food catering at the wedding, how did you manage to reduce the carbon footprint here?

We tied up with an NGO so unused food could be sent to feed young children. Wasted food was sent to piggeries. The role of plastic was minimized considerably throughout the wedding and paper napkins were replaced with reusable cloth serviettes.

Did you also extend the thought to your wedding outfits?

A lot of clothes and jewelry we wore were reconstructed using heirlooms handed down by grandparents. We barely bought anything extra.

Are the costs involved in a green wedding more or less than a regular wedding?

Cost is almost comparable, in certain places perhaps a cheaper alternative too. It is a creatively liberating process, where seeing sustainable ideas look beautiful is real fulfillment.

What was the reaction of your family and guests to your green wedding?

Luckily, our families have a similar opinion when it comes to wastage on any scale. Many guests were actually quite surprised to see how simple things can make all the difference. We as a company have had many interested clients post our own experiment. Overall, we have had very positive feedback.

How would you define a Green Bride and Groom? What advice can you give other couples to implement better practices into their wedding?

Someone who has the mindfulness to be able to create a positive footprint in the environment and work around it, rather than against it.

There’s an endless list of how one can be more environmentally conscious. I think the main challenge would be to make people aware of how small decisions, taken unknowingly, can leave a negative impact on this planet. Everything that we are aware of is mostly replaceable or has a more organic and sustainable alternative, it is only about being mindful and creative to bring this thought into reality.

Do you think sustainable weddings can replace traditional Indian weddings over the next few years?

Absolutely, this is our main driving force as a company and as a couple too. We dream of a day where love and happiness can have an overall positive impact. My husband is one of the leading environmentalists in the country and it is with his guidance and knowledge that we could achieve this together. This also paves the next phase of my company which is now relentlessly working on creating, conceptualizing and curating events that are fair, and sustainable overall.

Minal is the Director of Fourplay Events and Entertainment. The 12-year-old company has designed and planned more than 200 weddings to date. She loves traveling and exploring new destinations.

Vimlendu, Founder of Swechha has many accolades to his name. He is a successful green entrepreneur, having set up Green the Map, a fair trade initiative that produces innovative products from waste material. Additionally, he has made award-winning documentaries on environmental and youth issues that have been broadcasted by national and international news channels