In my days all weddings were eco-friendly. There was no big hue and cry about it,” said a bejewelled old lady as she stood holding a small silk bag containing a coconut and betel leaves. “Look at this bag.” She shook it at her ghagra-clad granddaughter standing impatiently next to her cell phone in hand. “We had no bag-wag. People just picked the coconut and betel leaves off the tray as they walked out.”

It was a pleasant Bangalore afternoon. The upmarket wedding she had just attended was happening in a beautiful big party space on the outskirts of the city. The couple had got married inside a mantap made of rough granite pillars with a stone flooring. Guests stood around under a huge tree or sat near the lotus pond also made of stone.

The space was expensive. The drive from the heart of the city was long and dusty. But it didn’t really matter. The parents of the bride who had paid for the wedding were wealthy and well educated. They had wanted an exclusive wedding for their only daughter. And what could be more exclusive than turning green. With an eagle eye, the bride’s mother made sure there was no ‘cheap’ plastic to be found anywhere. Not even a plastic cup for drinking water. The two families had opted for this space because of the natural surroundings. Even the rough, unpolished granite used for the steps, the mantap and the ponds made an extra special eco statement.

The wedding invitations were printed on recycled handmade paper. The decorations were green...mango leaves, coconut fronds, banana plants, jasmine garlands. Everything was carefully handpicked, cleaned and artistically arranged. The trays on which the gifts, the clothes, the sweets and fruits were arranged were all made of wood or natural fibre. The food was served on plates made of special leaves stitched together and treated to present a clean, sanitised surface. Badam milk was served in decorated matkas. And when the guests left, they were given the traditional coconut and betel leaves packed in beautiful handmade silk bags with drawstrings.

The bejewelled old lady’s chauffeur seemed to have got stuck somewhere in the middle of the long line of huge limousines. “When your mother got married, there was no plastic around,” she was telling her granddaughter who seemed to be anxious to get on to her cell phone again. “So everything had to be eco-friendly. The flower seller from the local market made the decorations. Food was served on banana leaves. And in my day...”

“Oh no Ajji!” groaned the grand-daughter. “Please don’t start off....”
Undaunted, the old lady continued. “In my day, there was no question of sending printed invitations. So no wasted paper even. My wedding took place in a thatched mantap put up in our courtyard. Everyone was invited personally.” Fortunately for the cell phone holding granddaughter, the car came and she jumped in.

“What is eco-friendly about this,” the old lady was still grumbling as she got in. “So much petrol waste coming all the way to this far off place. So many cars polluting the place ...”
Another day, another town, another wedding. The bride and groom were high earning young professionals in their early 30s. He was from the north and she was from the south. They had decided to have a no-frills beach wedding at Mahabalipuram on the outskirts of Chennai. They were paying for the wedding themselves and were very firm on what they would have and what they would not.

No fire, no paper decorations, no plastic plates. In fact no plastic. Full stop. The guest list was very limited and exclusive. No second cousins once removed. No business friends, casual acquaintances or unknown aunts and uncles. The invitations had of course been printed on the mandatory recycled handmade paper. The venue was an open to the sky platform on the beach. The decorations consisted of frangipani flowers and candles floating in earthenware tubs. At twilight as the sun set over the Bay of Bengal and the twittering birds settled down on the coconut palms, the venue took on a special glow. The bride and groom exchanged jasmine garlands and rings and the wedding was over.

Further down south, in a five-star hotel, a traditional Kerala wedding was taking place. The bride and groom had grown up in different parts of the world. Both sets of parents now lived in the US. They wanted to give their children a wedding they would always remember. They wanted a traditional yet international flavour.