Sathyasree & Yuktesh's Dreamy, Vegan and Eco-friendly Wedding in South India

20 July 2020

Lets go back in time, just a little, for a breath of coronavirus-free fresh air!

For ovo-vegetarian and conscious Sathyasree, her first tryst with veganism was the statement, “Erm, no I don’t take it, I am a vegan" from 'someone' in her office cafetaria, as a response to her offering them a mayo sandwich with an omelette. She got intrigued and got talking to this person who turned out to be a passionate vegan, animal lover and activist.
Little did she know that they would be planning their very own vegan wedding 2.5  years later! 
She says,
 

"Talking about veganism made me realize we were similar in a lot of other things as well! Be it about sustainability or how can we try and find solutions to various world problems or even about population control! For a budding vegan like me, he was an inspiration. He brought me to light from the misconceptions I was living with the whole of my life."

Lets hear rest of the story from Sathyasree herself.

For a budding vegan like me, he was an inspiration. He brought me to light from the misconceptions I was living with the whole of my life. He introduced me to his vegan friends and took me along to vegan fests, dinners and potlucks. We explored vegan restaurants and enjoyed driving to new places only to realize we have much more in common, including the taste for art, music and books! I bought some posters from Vegan First in the winter folly fest. I put them up in the kitchen to tell my parents I was super strong about this and that there’s no going back. Eventually, they had to come in terms with it. 

A Vegan Friendship Grows Into Something Much Sweeter!
 

Well, our vegan friendship grew to something more and better. We realized that being in each others’ company is all that we wanted for we were so alike in ideologies and beliefs. I had to move out after I received an offer letter from Amazon. Living in Hyderabad and in long-distance was actually painful. We never spoke of where we were going with it or nor did we ever find the need to propose to each other. It all just happened with time. It was definitely not like going down on one knee and asking out nor differences and fights. It was plain, normal and simple like a vanilla cake with a cherry on top.

When you look out there in the universe for the ‘one’, the very first thing is a dejected thought that comes to your mind that says ‘meh, I don’t think it is possible’. Well, that’s what I thought until I met this man. He is indeed an inspiration and everything I could ask for and more in a life partner. He is the strongest support system I have and the best and kindest of humans I met so far in my life. And so we tied the knot in February 2020. My parents were delighted because they were worried about finding a vegan groom for me! Haha. 
 

Eco-conscious and Vegan Wedding Preparations

We wanted to make sure our event was as eco-friendly as possible. We had the Haldi at my home where we arranged for palm leaves for decors, banana leaves for serving food and had a handful of people attending it for which I wore my sister’s half-saree making sure not having to buy something new and spoil it with the turmeric. We exchanged nuptials in Kerala, his hometown where we had limited guests and had a one-day event in Kerala style that involved a simple ceremony with not much of rituals that would include dairy products for puja.

Back in Chennai, we had our reception party and made sure it was VEGAN! We initially did face some struggle in setting up things, but we are blessed with some excellent vegan friends who helped us find the right contacts. 
 

Decor

The event was in an open place as I wanted it to be close to nature and wanted the subtle evening beach breeze. The decors were serial lights and paper domes that lit up the venue. The backdrop was simple, decorated with mats and limited marigold flowers.
 

Food

Here is the best part. We made sure everything was vegan. We arranged for almond milk curd rice and tofu masala to replace paneer. Our friends and my husband, along with his brother, made great efforts to set the vegan ice-cream counter. People could hardly believe that everything was vegan. I had all of my non-vegan friends say that they had the best food in a long time!
 

Clothing

 

I chose a no-silk kasavu for my wedding and a no-silk saree for my reception. I did not want to wear heavy lehengas that would never be put to use again after the wedding. For me, it just meant an unwanted piece of fashion. We carefully selected non-silk or no-pattu outfits for my husband too.
 

Return Gifts

Owing to our customs, we had a return gift for the guests. As a part of thambulam as we call here in the south, we gave away coconut, betel leaves, turmeric and kumkum packed in a decorative cloth bag. Doing so we made sure of keeping it minimalist and right.

Miscellaneous

We only had reusable ceramic plates and steel cutlery for dinner and steel chairs wrapped with a cloth for seating. Our aim was to make sure we leave behind the least, or no waste from our event and so requested the caterers to cook as limited as possible to serve the exact guest number. And guess what! There was hardly any leftover food!

We were so particular that we made sure there was nothing unwanted, and so our names were also written on banana leaves to promote the eco-friendly celebration. There was nothing more I could ask for! My parents and in-laws were the strongest support, and they made sure we had it our way supporting us in every single step.

Not a fancy love-story but then a vegan one! We’re looking forward to doing a lot more vegan things together and try our best in doing our part for our planet. Dear husband, thank you for making me a better person. In your language, I don’t know if it is the doing of the Betelguese or Arcturus or Rigel Kent or Vega or whatever star is out there in the universe, but it did the best thing for me!

Read: Sharanya and Susheel's Vegan Wedding
Read More: Neha and Ashwin's Jain Wedding had 75 Vegan Dishes!