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The global corona pandemic has taken a toll all over us. Weddings and public gatherings are at a halt. The pandemic has changed our lives and work from home and staying at home have become new normal. But as it is historical that love can’t be restricted in closed-door for a long time. Amidst the pandemic, two gorgeous people Mitika and Ridesh celebrated their eco-friendly, real intimate wedding in the glorious Gir Forest. The duo decided to celebrate their wedding in the most sustainable eco-friendly way. The wedding took place at the woods in Sasan which is located in Gir Forest. The wedding celebration was intimate which was only attended by close friends and acquaintances. The wedding was based on the philosophy of 4R’s which stands for reuse, reduce, recycle and remove. Decor elements that were a part of the hotel or ones that the decorator had used earlier and recycled were a great hack, to begin with, bringing in a blend of colours, designs and textures to the events. The architecture of the venue paired with the fact that it was located within a national park completely pulled out all the stops.
Source- Snapped Studio 
Source- Snapped Studio
Real intimate wedding at exiquisite Gir Forest
The Gir Forest was chosen because of the unique activities that could be included in the celebration. Each guest’s fondest memory of the trip was the jungle safari when they all saw a lion and a slew of lionesses on the morning of the wedding. Another lure was the late-night stargazing following the sangeet. The location itself offered a pottery workshop on both evenings, as well as an organic vegetable field tour and a fresh fruit shop. A carnival-themed event hosted under the stars, complete with an emcee hosting a plethora of activities and games, was another highlight of this series of events. We nearly forgot it was a wedding and laughed our hearts out at the zeal with which each guest responded to each game. Everything about the wedding was environmentally friendly, including the wedding location, Woods at Sasan, which recycles all of its waste and has as environmentally friendly infrastructure and interiors as possible.
Love at first sight?
Lovebirds Mitika and Ridhesh first met as volunteers for a young professionals community in Mumbai, which needed them to catch up over dinner to ideate for an upcoming project. However, hours into this ‘brainstorming session’, the couple found themself chatting with great ease about everything from their love for travel, animals and food, and later that week, they met up again where Mitika was introduced to Ridhesh’s cat Rumi, and the little meeting with his feline made the two inseparable after.
Fun and adventerous life of Mitika and Ridesh
Mitika and Ridhesh were both adventurous souls who believed in celebrating their marriage rather than putting up a show for the guests. We were able to get everyone on board with what was going on at the wedding after almost 10-15 meetings with both families that always lasted longer than 5 hours. Planning an economically sustainable wedding, especially in a distant location, comes with its own set of problems. especially in the midst of a pandemic, plus it is also a dry state. This was one of those weddings that came with a lot of challenges, from cancelled flights to rescheduled flights, but we have to say that we had a lot more fun planning this wedding than we expected, and how could we not have been involved in the jungle safari on our first receive to ensure that our guests had a good time?”
Real Intimate Wedding
The wedding was celebrated in the most environmentally friendly way. The architecture of the venue paired with the fact that it was located within a national park completely pulled out all the stops.
In order to manage waste, plastic-waste collection boxes were spread out across the venue, enabling them to collect all non-biodegradable waste and have it recycled in the best way possible. The local community was involved to accentuate the experience in the forest, with a potter who entertained guests at High Tea, a local tribe that performed a dance at the Sangeet, drivers from Gir who showed guests around the forest, and lots more.
Set on creating a positive impact on nature however possible, the couple and their immediate family offset their flight travel emissions by planting trees through a number of NGOs, and also added some non-profit organisations to their wedding registry. Mango wood-based products were used without a tarnish were required to prevent the cutting of trees, and guests received a handy jute bag loaded with proud local elements to take back home as a memory.
Living up to their standard of individuality, Mitika and Ridhesh made sure to have nature-friendly baarats too! Ridesh made a grand entry on a beautifully decorated cycle with his groomsmen, while Mitika roped in all her bridesmaids for her own baarat and ensured everyone shook a leg and had a ball.
On the whole, the duo had a wholesome, meaningful and once-in-a-lifetime kind of real intimate wedding, and we wish them love, happiness and togetherness for eternity.
