Praveen Raj, 27, and Monica Pandian, 23, will not send their wedding invitation card to even a single friend. No, they are not eloping, but planning an eco-friendly vegan Kalyanam (wedding), that does not need trees to be felled.
Their one-of-a-kind wedding is green, clean and amazingly vegan. Basically, everything- from their wedding clothes and even to food, will be sustainable and would never crowd a landfill.
(Clockwise): Monica Pandian with Praveen Raj with a friend at their vegan engagement ceremony in Chennai
Given their love for environment and everything vegan, it was quite natural then for them to get engaged on November 1 (World Vegan Day), last year.
In fact, the couple exchanged bamboo rings as opposed to gold rings for this ceremony.
(See pic) The couple got special bamboo rings designed for their engagement ceremony
"That was the biggest challenge to get our relatives to agree on," recalls Raj. "We kept getting asked over and over again: 'how can you have a wedding with no gold?'" he said, speaking to a leading daily.
Raj and Pandian flaunting their bamboo rings
For this ceremony, the couple wore simple cotton ensembles accessorised with eco-friendly raw jute slippers made from recycled tyres.
The couple flaunt their eco-friendly raw jute slippers at the engagement ceremony
Continue reading to see how this young Chennai couple are planning their vegan Kalyanam.
Preparations for the vegan Kalyanam
The couple also revealed that while they would like to retain traditional rituals in their vegan Kalyanam, they would give it their special environment-friendly twist.
"You know, in Hindu weddings, the nadaswaram and tavil are often have animal skins as part of their make up? We just weren't okay with that," the bride-to-be told the daily.
The couple at their engagement ceremony
So after a lot of searching, they finally found an alternative solution to this problem.
"We found a vocalist and scientist Dr K Varadarangan in Bengaluru who has designed a synthetic fibre glass shell mridangam. So that's what we'll have making music when we tie the knot," the 23-year-old says.
The couple with their friends and guests at their engagement ceremony
Raj and Pandian have also made big plans for their environment-friendly vegan Kalyanam.
They plan to swap silk sarees for organic cotton, leather shoes to cotton-based footwear with recyclable soles from tires. And, as for the gold- the bride will adorn herself with jungle-inspired jewels, which will be crafted from seeds and grains. Nifty!
As for the decor, an arrangement of marigolds (samandhi), will be made. But in an effort for zero wastage, it will be prepared after the ceremony.
And instead of romantic stories of how they met, the couple plan to screen a short environmental documentary. They will also invite VIP guests at this vegan kalyanam, including environmental heroes. They will raise awareness about the importance of going green.
Wow! This couple can easily give environmentalists a serious complex.
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