Weddings are described as one of the particular days in an individual’s life when love is well known, guarantees are made, and reminiscences are created. However for Svetlana D’costa and Joel Fernandes, their wedding ceremony on January 5, 2025, wasn’t nearly romance or custom. It was about making a significant dedication to 1 one other whereas additionally honouring the planet they each love and work to guard.
Their day, held on the serene shores of Cavelossim Seashore in Goa, mirrored their shared values of sustainability and environmental accountability, and so they proved {that a} wedding ceremony could be each stunning and earth-conscious.
For the couple, sustainability is not only a passing pattern or a buzzword, it’s a way of life they’ve deliberately embraced over time. Svetlana, an environmental skilled at rePurpose World, has lengthy embraced a zero-waste life-style. “Sustainability has all the time been part of me,” she explains. “Lengthy earlier than rePurpose World, I used to be composting meals scraps, utilizing a menstrual cup, and guaranteeing all my dry waste was recycled,” she tells The Higher India.
Joel, alternatively, has a background in finance and has labored throughout IT, provide chain, consulting, and sustainability. He brings a novel perspective to their partnership, each in life and work. “I may see, and got here to like, Svetlana’s real dedication to the atmosphere,” he says. “So, when it got here to planning a very powerful day of our lives, it solely felt pure to make sure it embodied the values we each maintain pricey.”
Their choice to marry close to the place the place they first met, at a piece retreat in Varca, Goa, was the proper place to begin. “We selected Cavelossim Seashore for the ceremony, only a quick distance away from Varca Seashore, however nonetheless alongside the identical stretch of shoreline, to revive the reminiscences of our first assembly and to mark the start of our lifelong dedication to one another,” the couple shares.
From the start, they knew they needed to plan a marriage that protected the planet and prevented pointless waste. “Our focus was clear from the beginning,” says Svetlana. “We each work in sustainability, so it was non-negotiable for us to make our wedding ceremony environmentally pleasant.”
Discovering eco-friendly options: The problem of eradicating plastic
One of many main challenges they confronted was eliminating plastic waste, significantly the ever present plastic water bottles which might be handed out at most weddings today. “The problem with bottled water was the most important impediment,” she admits. “At most occasions, the 250 ml bottled water is in all places, whether or not you prefer it or not. However we knew we needed to discover a higher various .”
They determined to arrange water stations with massive 20-litre cans of water, accompanied by paper cups, sugarcane bagasse cups, and reusable glasses. “We labored with the venue to arrange these water stations and even paid further to have workers keep them all through the day,” says the bride. “In instances the place they insisted on utilizing plastic cups, we went in individual to buy paper cups and sugarcane bagasse cups,” she provides.
From the very starting, they made eco-friendly decisions, beginning with the choice to get rid of paper invites. As a substitute, they embraced digital invitations and created a devoted wedding ceremony web site to share all the main points with their friends.
“The web site additionally defined our sustainability efforts and inspired friends to contribute to the trigger. We shared data on how friends may assist, what they need to carry, and what to anticipate at a zero-waste wedding ceremony,” she provides.
Small decisions that make an enormous distinction
For the ceremony and reception, they selected a minimalist strategy to decor. “We didn’t really feel the necessity for extreme ornament, as nature itself supplied probably the most stunning backdrop,” Joel displays. The couple used jute and wood parts for seating and decorations, retaining the whole lot easy and sustainable.
“The flowers had been repurposed from one other occasion, guaranteeing nothing went to waste. We requested the occasion administration crew to take again the desk items and decor on the finish of the day for reuse. We made certain all our decor was both reusable or biodegradable,” provides Svetlana.
Probably the most distinctive facet of their wedding ceremony was the way in which they integrated the United Nations Sustainable Growth Objectives (SDGs) into their church ceremony. “We turned our choices and prayers into prayers for the SDGs. We had choices like fruits for zero starvation, books for high quality schooling, and photo voltaic lamps for renewable power. We even used repurposed cartons for the providing containers,” explains the bride.
Her husband provides, “The church itself was stunning, so we didn’t want any decor to detract from that. We simply targeted on making the ceremony significant by aligning it with the targets that matter most to us.”
In keeping with their zero-waste ethos, in addition they ensured that every one the meals served was sustainably packaged and compostable. “We labored with native distributors to make sure all of the meals was served in sugarcane bagasse, paper containers, or reusable packaging,” Svetlana says.
“Initially, we had our hearts set on serving biryani on the wedding ceremony, so we approached an area vendor. Nonetheless, he was reluctant to vary his packaging, which was a key concern for us. After some thought, we found sugarcane bagasse packaging and thought of shopping for it ourselves, asking the seller to make use of it for the biryani. Nonetheless, we weren’t certain if he would permit us to do that,” she explains.
At that time, they determined to discover different choices. “We visited native bakeries to see if they might serve meals in our containers or paper packaging. We spent a number of time doing this analysis, and it helped us make knowledgeable choices. Lastly, we tasted the meals at a bakery, and it was good. We had been assured that our friends would take pleasure in it, too. Choosing the proper snack field took fairly a little bit of time, however ultimately, it was price it,” she provides.
As a substitute of providing conventional bottled drinks, they opted to serve contemporary sugarcane juice and coconut water to their friends. “We discovered an area sugarcane juice vendor and requested for particular permission from the church to carry him contained in the church quadrangle,” says Svetlana. “The leftover sugarcane pulp was used to feed cows.”
Sorting and eliminating waste on the venue
The couple additionally thought of waste administration in the course of the occasion. The bride remembers, “We had a waste administration crew on-site to make sure that the whole lot was sorted and managed correctly. We arrange colour-coded bamboo bins for recycling and composting all through the venue.”
“As soon as the dustbins had been crammed, the waste was taken to the again finish, the place a crew of waste staff rigorously opened every bag and sorted the waste into 9 completely different classes. We stored paper separate, meals scraps in one other, and coconuts in one more. The meals scraps and coconuts had been despatched off for composting. We additionally made certain to separate natural waste from recyclable supplies. All paper and cardboard had been despatched for recycling. Nothing went to the landfill, the whole lot was reused, repurposed, or recycled,” provides Joel, his voice full of satisfaction.
“We even had one thing in place for our smoker buddies. To stop environmental leakage, we had a specialised cigarette recycling bin on the venue,” he provides.
Divya Ravichandran, the founder and CEO of Skrap, the waste administration crew on the venue, says, “It got here as no shock that Svetlana’s wedding ceremony embraced zero-waste rules. We had been completely thrilled to be a part of such a significant celebration, guaranteeing that their special occasion really mirrored their dedication to sustainability.”
“Our crew actively guided friends with signage and informative posters, making waste sorting each easy and interesting. Each merchandise of waste was meticulously categorised and despatched to the suitable recycling centres and composting amenities, guaranteeing that completely nothing from the marriage ended up in a landfill. By embracing zero-waste rules similar to aware materials sourcing, reusable decor, and accountable waste administration, {couples} can drastically scale back their environmental footprint. Extra importantly, integrating conversations round sustainability into the celebration can encourage friends to undertake low-waste habits of their on a regular basis lives,” she provides.
Their waste-conscious mindset even prolonged to the marriage favours. As a substitute of the standard trinkets, the couple selected to present friends natural honey from an area Goan apiary, packaged in glass jars, sourced by them. “We needed to honour our friends with one thing sustainable, and natural honey appeared like the proper present,” Svetlana shares. For his or her bridesmaids and finest males, they curated zero-waste present containers containing natural merchandise like deodorants, lip balms, soaps, and moisturisers, handcrafted by native girls.
When it got here to transportation, the couple took steps to scale back their carbon footprint by arranging shuttle buses for friends. “We needed to minimise the variety of automobiles on the wedding ceremony to scale back air pollution, so we organised three shuttle buses,” Svetlana explains. “We additionally requested friends to not carry bodily presents however as an alternative contribute to a social impression registry, the place they might donate to causes similar to local weather motion, catastrophe aid, and ladies’s empowerment, by way of our wedding ceremony web site.”
Affect on the society
Their efforts had been well-received, with about 200 friends attending the occasion. On the finish of the day, they generated 300 kg of waste, together with roughly 66 kg of recyclable waste and the rest biodegradable, similar to meals scraps and coconut shells. “Every little thing was diverted from landfills,” she provides.
“The price of our wedding ceremony was roughly one lakh. We saved considerably by eliminating pointless bills, like elaborate decor and bodily invitations,” she explains.
The couple’s choice to share their sustainable wedding ceremony story on social media additionally garnered an amazing response. “We didn’t anticipate the quantity of consideration we acquired,” she says. “Inside per week, we had over 1,000 reactions, 55,000 impressions, and 150 feedback. It was superb to see how many individuals had been impressed by our wedding ceremony and needed to do one thing comparable.”
Joel provides, “We had been so touched by the suggestions we acquired. Folks stated they had been impressed, and we had so many feedback saying each Indian household ought to contemplate having a marriage like this.”
Reflecting on the expertise, Svetlana has some recommendation for others contemplating a zero-waste wedding ceremony: “I request individuals to focus extra on progress over perfection. It may be overwhelming to handle the whole lot, however in the event you concentrate on making one factor proper, it could possibly make an enormous distinction. It’s necessary to know the place supplies come from and the place they go, and to consider how one can make issues simpler for everybody concerned.”
Joel agrees, including, “Transparency is vital. Once you talk brazenly along with your distributors and friends about your necessities, they’re extra more likely to help your imaginative and prescient. We had been lucky to have such a collaborative crew that helped make our wedding ceremony particular.”
“We hope our decisions encourage others to make small modifications that may result in a big effect. It’s necessary to make aware choices that assist protect the planet for future generations. We need to be sure that the world our future generations inherit is one the place they’ve entry to the sources they want, simply as we do in the present day,” concludes the couple.
Edited by Megha Chowdhury; All photos courtesy Svetlana D’costa
