A Bride-To-Be’s Notes On Planning A Low-Waste, Gender-Inclusive Wedding

“This is our wedding. It is not a rebellion,” my partner said, when I was hellbent on changing absolutely everything written in our traditions, the rule book on how to get married. I wanted a priestess to officiate our wedding ceremony. Patriarchy had long leached into this space and conveniently prohibited women from conducting ceremonies. I wanted to use my day to unf**k this. In my own small way.

I wanted to rent my outfit. People warned me that it was not wise to wear someone else’s clothes, that it could hurt my marriage.

Guess what, it takes a little more than that to hurt a marriage. And if you truly believe a piece of cloth can do that, you should seriously reconsider getting married in the first place. 

I didn’t want to serve any animal products, but here my partner and I met halfway. We settled on a veg-only menu, with a dedicated vegan counter.

Honestly, it has been rather fun standing my ground every time I had to. I am deeply grateful to have a partner who understands the baggage women carry today. No matter how much growth and freedom we taste, some weight still comes inherited.

A wedding that fits our lives

The idea of weddings is funny. Ironical, even. Excuse this brief philosophical detour. I have seen people burn their life savings for days, sometimes only for hours.

I found myself at the same crossroads, being asked to use my savings. To which I quietly hurled an adult curse word in my head.

So I decided to measure wedding expenses in months, not money. Months of my life. I would only spend a few months’ worth of money on this one day.

For me, that number came to under six months. I am grateful for understanding families and, frankly, for the job I gave myself in my own company.

I also believe that weddings are often displays of money to society. But this piece is not about telling you how to spend yours. You have read enough of that from finance gurus on Instagram. This is simply a piece from my heart.

From a 2026 bride who may or may not have dreamt of an ideal wedding, and who definitely did not have a colour-coded folder like Monica from Friends.

When the responsibility of planning my wedding landed on me, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Doing it myself meant I could align it with my values and belief system. After all, you only get married once, and you would want to keep it that way.

If you find yourself in a similar whirlwind, start by noting your absolute must-haves and your non-negotiables. This is the best place to begin.

Intentional, honest, and 'ours'

I have very little attachment to things, so renting my wedding lehenga came easier to me than it might for others. No judgement here.

If preserving a memory through what you wear matters to you, go for it. Buy what you love. But if you are not attached to that idea, let me gently influence you into renting your wedding attire.

You can wear incredible designer pieces at a fraction of the cost and skip the heavy maintenance and storage guilt after your big day. It is an incredibly liberating feeling. Take my word for it.

My partner and I also chose to let go of events that existed mainly for aesthetics. Our earlier planned haldi, for instance, was purely for Instagram, and I am not exaggerating.

I do not shame anyone who wants bright yellow backdrops and playful pre-wedding events. They can be joyful additions. But for us, it would have cost an entire month's money.

Was it worth it? Not really. It was not required by our customs, and beyond the Instagram layer, it served no real purpose. So we had the deep talk and let it go. 

You will start to notice that most logical and practical decisions naturally lean towards being low-waste. Sustainability often follows common sense, if you allow it to. 

Beyond cutting unnecessary events, we chose a venue that was climate-conscious by default. It runs on solar energy, harvests rainwater, leaves most of its land unpaved for groundwater replenishment, and composts wet waste. 

It is worth reading about where you are getting married. This is the most expensive party you will ever throw. Choose consciously how you spend your money, and therefore your vote.

We are choosing to support small vendors for wedding favours and source sweets from a vegan business. To pre-empt food wastage, we have onboarded a non-profit. It would break my heart to see good food and hard-earned money go to waste when so many go hungry every day.

Weddings are displays of love. But do they need to be displays of trash? Do they need to come at the cost of a lifetime’s savings? I do not think so.

Weddings do not have to follow someone else’s template. They can be yours, layered with your values, your character, your choices.

Just like renting an outfit will not ruin your marriage by carrying someone else’s “aura,” doing your wedding your way will not ruin your day either.

Authored by Damini Arora, Founder and CEO of Meraki Digital.
Views expressed by the author are their own.