The scent of jasmine in the air. Twinkling fairy lights casting a soft glow over a sea of smiling faces. The clink of glasses, the swirl of silk sarees, the music, the laughter — weddings in India are a grand celebration of love and togetherness.
Every detail is crafted with care: vibrant flowers woven into garlands, ornate decor filling every corner, sumptuous food served in endless abundance.
But when the last song fades and the guests head home, what’s left behind tells a different story.
Mounds of waste — half-eaten food, discarded plastic bottles, wilting flowers swept into black bags. Memories made for a day, but consequences that linger far longer.
It is estimated that Indian weddings generate up to 500 kilograms of waste per event, with each guest contributing around 1 kilogram on average. Multiply this by the thousands of weddings that happen daily, and the environmental cost becomes staggering. In fact, studies suggest that the Indian wedding industry, valued at over Rs 3.7 lakh crore, contributes significantly to single-use plastic and food waste, with nearly 40% of wedding food reportedly wasted.
But what if a wedding could be both beautiful and kind to the planet?
That’s exactly what 32-year-old Uma Ram, a digital marketing freelancer from Chennai, set out to do. Known online as @proud_brown_girl, Uma recently tied the knot — but she was determined that her celebration wouldn’t come at the planet’s cost.
“Being sustainable on a big day was something I always wanted. Growing up, I have always been cautious about the environment and my surroundings,” Uma shares. “Earlier, when I attended weddings, I would always notice the amount of water and food that got wasted — and it’s huge.”
Still, knowing what you want and knowing how to get there are two different things. Uma had the intention, but not the roadmap.
Like many brides, she began with a simple scroll through Instagram for ideas. That’s when she stumbled upon Connect to Bhoomi — a Chennai-based sustainability initiative helping people plan eco-conscious events.
Curious and hopeful, Uma reached out.
“I contacted the team, and we started working together. We had a few brainstorming sessions about how we could manage water, food, and decor — all the things that usually go to waste in large amounts at weddings.”
For two months leading up to the wedding, Uma and the Connect to Bhoomi team mapped out every detail with care and creativity. Plans were drawn, refined, and redrawn. As is often the case with big dreams, the final blueprint only came together two days before the wedding — a reminder that even the best intentions require flexibility and faith.
And when the day finally arrived, here’s what they achieved.
Indian weddings are almost unimaginable without flowers. Fragrant jasmine garlands, vibrant marigold strings, banana leaves lining banquet tables — every element adds to the beauty and tradition. But once the rituals end and the last blessings are exchanged, these symbols of celebration are often discarded, left to wither on the roadside or rot in bins.
Uma wanted her wedding to tell a different story.
Every flower and leaf used during her ceremony was carefully collected and taken for composting. Even the banana leaves that once held festive meals were gathered, destined not for landfills, but to become rich manure for farming.
“All of this was converted into manure and used for crops,” Uma explains.
Gowtham, the founder of Connect to Bhoomi, adds, “We worked with Namma Ooru Foundation from Pudupettai, Chennai, and they helped compost the kitchen and flower waste at their composting centre.”
What would have been waste was, instead, turned into new life — a reminder that every celebration can have an afterlife beyond its final dance.
Food waste is one of the biggest contributors to landfill pile-ups at weddings. Plates piled high with uneaten rice and curries, sweets forgotten at the edge of the buffet, feast after feast wasted. But Uma, along with Gowtham and the Connect to Bhoomi team, had a different plan.
Instead of letting good food go to waste, they chose to give it a second life — by feeding cattle.
“We decided to feed the cattle, cows specifically. This was done with proper consultation with a veterinarian in terms of the amount of food to be given and how it should be served as fodder,” explains Uma.
What could have been several kilos of wasted food became nutritious feed for animals instead. Fresh kitchen waste from other events was also collected and provided to farmers and pig rearers, where it was put to good use.
“This was primarily possible because of the effective segregation of waste by the workers,” adds Gowtham. “We provide clear instructions beforehand so they can do their job comfortably.”
In a world where waste often piles up unseen, Uma’s wedding found a way to feed the land, the animals, and a different kind of hope.
Plastic was one battle Uma knew would be hard to win. Despite her best efforts, plastic water bottles — brought in by the caterers — still made their way into the celebration.
But instead of giving in to frustration, Uma and her team chose to work around it, handling the waste with care and creativity.
“The plastic bottles and their caps were segregated and sent for recycling. Even the leftover water inside the bottles was used to water plants, avoiding unnecessary wastage,” shares Uma.
“I was a little sad that we couldn’t avoid such huge consumption of plastic via water bottles,” Gowtham admits, “but we tackled it the best way possible.”
Beyond waste management, Uma wanted her wedding to quietly invite guests into her vision of a better world.
Near the wash areas, they placed placards encouraging mindful water use. Across the venue, posters spoke gently about reducing food waste and choosing handkerchiefs over tissue papers — a simple swap, just like their parents and grandparents once made.
“One of the main awareness efforts we undertook was talking to people about the use of tissue papers, which can easily be replaced by handkerchiefs,” Gowtham explains.
These small reminders weren’t loud or preachy — but they worked. “These posters helped educate people and spread awareness about how small actions and changes can make a big impact,” Uma smiles.
Uma wanted every part of her wedding to reflect her values — even the invitation.
She teamed up with Iniiyavai, a brand from Erode that makes wedding cards out of cotton waste pulp and recycled paper, with seeds embedded inside.
“So instead of throwing away the invitation, people can just tear it, soak it in water, and plant it in soil. It will grow into a beautiful plant, making it 100 per cent biodegradable,” Uma explains.
As a small, personal touch, she even added the name of her pet dog, Brownie, to the card — a wholesome way of including all those she loved in her celebration.
For one of her wedding attires, Uma chose sentiment over sparkle. She wore a 50-year-old saree that once belonged to her grandmother, Thaiyalnayagi.
“She couldn’t come to the wedding because she’s over 90 and lives in Pondicherry,” Uma shares. “Wearing her saree made me feel like she was a part of the wedding in some way. It was my wish, and I’m happy I did it.”
Although Uma had dreamt of a smaller, more intimate ceremony — perhaps in a temple or a court — familial expectations meant hosting a full-fledged celebration. But even within those boundaries, she held on to what she could control. “Whatever was under my control, I kept as sustainable as possible. Once the hall was selected, I planned and executed what I could within that space,” she says.
Every small detail was thought through: the waste segregation plan was communicated in advance to the catering team, ensuring wet and dry waste were properly managed. Her parents stood by her choices, proud and supportive of her efforts.
The waste management services by Connect to Bhoomi were initially quoted at Rs 50,000, but Uma, working within a tight budget, found a way to negotiate a midpoint. A four-to-five-member team handled everything — from composting and recycling to quietly educating guests along the way.
In the end, one tonne of waste was collected and responsibly managed — waste that, on any other day, would have ended up in landfills. “Given an option, I would have saved even more and generated even less waste. But with what I had, I was able to do my bit for the environment,” Uma reflects.
Her story is proof that sustainable weddings aren’t just possible — they are powerful. Even within the most traditional settings, meaningful change can begin with a single choice, a single action.
As the wedding industry continues to grow, so does its footprint. But with small shifts — composting floral waste, rethinking decor, planning food redistribution, or opting for biodegradable invites — couples can begin to rewrite that story. And perhaps, like Uma, leave behind more than just memories — leave behind something far more lasting.
Edited by Khushi Arora. All images courtesy Uma Ram.
