This Chennai Bride’s Low-Waste Wedding Ideas Diverted 110 KG of Waste and Still Looked Grand
Your wedding day is meant to be magical, memorable, and full of love — but it doesn’t have to come at the planet’s expense. From plastic cutlery to discarded decor and food waste, traditional weddings can leave behind more than just memories. But a growing tribe of eco-conscious couples is proving that you can celebrate the day with a touch of sustainability.
Chennai’s lifestyle and community blogger, Uma Ram, didn’t just talk about living green but also acted on it! Her eco-friendly wedding is now being seen as an example of blending traditions with contemporary, planet-friendly solutions.
Talk weddings, and you’re reminded of the delicious food! But it is no secret that weddings also see huge amounts of food waste. Uma, with the help of ‘Connect To Bhoomi,’ which is an initiative to minimise waste production in weddings, got the waste collected from dining and decor and segregated it into wet and dry waste. The fruits and food that were left behind were taken to feed the cattle after veterinary consultation.
Setbacks and hurdles are part and parcel when it comes to bringing a change. It was no different for Uma! Her catering team, unaware of the eco-friendly initiative, bought plastic water bottles. But the bride had a solution handy. All the wasted water was collected and used to water the plants. The plastic bottles were sent to recycling centres.
The flowers, leftover fruits, and other compostable waste from the wedding were turned into nutrient-rich manure. After all, why just feed the guests when you can also nourish the very soil that feeds us?
Making it a zero-waste wedding was not possible, but Uma made an effort to bring a change.
She got quirky posters of film stars printed to disseminate the idea of the ‘low waste event.’ Wedding invitations sent to the guests were also made from seed paper so they could plant them after the event — a heartwarming way to remember the couple.
The result of all this was that 110 kg of waste was diverted from landfills. It was either sent for recycling, or it was reused and repurposed. Uma’s wedding is a shining example of how love for the planet can walk hand-in-hand with age-old traditions and celebrations.
From repurposing waste to planting memories, her big day not only celebrated a union of hearts but also sparked conversations around mindful living. The idea of green weddings might just become the new norm, where every “I do” also says “I care.”
Edited by Vidya Gowri
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