Baraat on Yulu e-Bikes, Tulsi Varmalas: A Delhi Wedding getting Viral for Right Reasons
On 14th January 2021, Madhuri Balodi & Aditya Aggarwal tied knot, after dating for 14 years but since the event, the couple has been getting a lot of attention and yes, for the right reasons. The Delhi-based couple decided to have a unique wedding that was eco-friendly and sustainable.
The low-key sustainable wedding was the brainchild of the bride, Madhuri Balodi, a social entrepreneur. Their families and friends supported them.
There were no printed wedding cards. Madhuri designed the e-invites for her wedding. “In fact, instead of having a printed banner at the venue, we used a chalkboard,” she said.
Aditya Aggarwal, the 32-year-old groom, didn’t bring the baraat on a mare or a car. Instead, he rode Yulu bikes along with other baraatis to his wedding venue.
The venue was the garden of Madhuri’s uncle’s house in Delhi. It was decorated with old bottles and newspaper buntings. The pandal too was made from eco-friendly items and the ceremony avoided use of plastic as much as possible.
The ceremony avoided use of plastic as much as possible. One of Madhuri’s cousins took the role of a pandit to organise the wedding rituals, while a friend of hers offered to be the photographer. The wedding decor was done by their family and friends.
The couple exchanged tulsi varmalas. When asked why tulsi, Madhuri replied, “The tulsi in the varmalas became dry powder for our tea. My friend arranged the tulsi valmalas from Ghazipur. They weren’t easily available.”
The couple also refused to spend a lot of money on their wedding attires. While Madhuri chose to wear a Rs 2,500 saree for her big day, Aditya went for a Rs 3,000 shervani. All the accessories were reused. They did not spend more than Rs 2 lakh on the whole wedding.
While the wedding guests brought gifts wrapped in paper, they were offered plant saplings instead of the traditional mithai and shaadi ki bhaji. “The guests keep on sending how much their plant has grown and we feel a connection,” Madhuri said.
Madhuri continued, “No gifts were exchanged between the families. Both sides had just brought 1 kilogram of fruits for each other.”
Madhuri said that the inspiration behind the eco-friendly wedding was her mother and her work which requires recycling and upcycling. She added that they follow a sustainable lifestyle in regular also. “Many curious relatives had asked, ‘Kaisa hoga? Ho payega ya nahi?’” recalled Madhuri, adding, “When everything was done, everybody was happy.”
Let us take a moment and Congratulate – Madhuri Balodi & Aditya Aggarwal for this beautiful, eco-friendly & sustainable Wedding.
