ETHICAL WEDDINGS BLOG CONTRIBUTOR
Your name: Diar Adhihafsari
Wedding date: (hopefully late April) 2009
Venue and location: my parents’ home, Pontianak, Indonesia
Budget: we plan under Rp10.000.000 (around $1,000)
What inspired you to have an ethical wedding?
Our being more eco-conscious in our day-to-day life choices naturally brought us to the thought of having as ethical a wedding as possible.
What has been the most difficult bit so far?
Making my family understand what it means for us to stick with our eco-principles, compromising all of our simple and earth-friendly ideas with my family’s ‘conventional’ ideas, and finding locally-produced ethical products.
What has been the most fun bit?
Discussing and mapping out all the plans with my future husband, and browsing many inspiring green sites and blogs.
What are your 5 top tips for brides and grooms planning an ethical wedding?
I actually need 5 myself at present, but let me try:
1. For those who live in a city or country where most of the people aren’t familiar with green-living issues or don’t take green-living issues seriously (that’s me!), compromising on many elements of your wedding is a must, I suppose—and that needs oceans of patience, too.
2. Let people around you and your guests know that you’re trying to make your wedding day greener —giving examples is always better than giving lectures.
3. Some people, even your friends and family, may think you’re exaggerating the ‘green theme’ trend, but take it easy. Being green isn’t (just) a new trend, but an obligation—it’s our responsibility.
4. Inspirations are always there around you, so look for them practically anywhere you can think of—the internet, your friends, other brides and grooms, and even public places.
5. Just savour each minute you spend on planning and making it come true—one day you’ll cherish the memory.
