1. Limited Food Menu 

To avoid wastage of food, the menu could be limited by having only 2-3 options. Also, the ingredients could be locally obtained while planning the menu. The use of plastic waste could be avoided by switching to steel plates and glasses, copper jugs, glass bottles and paper straws. 

Also, make sure that no plastic-wrapped food items are served after the event, you may request your caterer to provide you with cutleries made out of wood. 

2.  Go Digital  

The best way to minimize the release of carbon footprint is to go digital. 

Instead of distributing the traditional invites, you can consider a conscious option of sending out trendy digital e-invites. With the rising demand for sustainability, one can easily go guilt-free by reducing the usage of paper invites and the carbon footprint and sending the invites digitally.

If you really require paper then you should consider using brown or recycled paper, dried flowers and jute among other options. 

3. Collaborate with an Non Profit Organization

We can't deny that there is a lot of wastage in Indian Weddings whether it is the leftover meals or the items used for decorating the venue. The way to go about it is to collaborate with NGOs to make sure that the leftover meals are given to needy people. 

4. Eco-Friendly Décor:

Choose guilt-free décor at your wedding venue that could be aesthetically pleasing as well as sustainable. The bride and groom chairs could be made from using the quintessentially classic wood that could be personalized and used during the Sangeet Function. The signboard could be designed with fabric, wood or you could go completely digital. 

Minimal is the new Orange; minimal with your décor and try to use local flowers or even artificial flowers.

Upcycle decoration for smaller events like Mehendi, Haldi and Ganesh Puja. You could upcycle from old bandhani dupattas or any cotton colorful fabric or saree to drape around the mandap. Some bangles and DIY-ed dream catchers or wall hangings go perfect for a Mehendi theme too. 

5. Gifts:

As a tradition at Indian weddings, many gifts are exchanged 

and we have some unique ideas for return gifts for an environmentally conscious wedding.

• Gift a plant as a return favors instead of the regular leather or food souvenir box. This way your guests will also remember your wedding for a longer period. 
•  For your close relatives, you could choose elegant and beautiful saris that are made out of khadi silk.
• Curate a gift basket of dry fruits and organic fruits that are healthy and eco friendly too! 

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