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Outfits made of khadi, a decor with natural flowers, seed balls in a jute bag as return gifts, seed paper invites that can grow into beautiful plants one day — this describes the unique wedding reception of Warangal-based couple, Sai Sidhartha Namburi and Satya Sravani, who got married recently. The khadi clothing for the wedding reception has garnered much attention on social media ever since the couple posted the pictures online. Sidhartha, a BITS Pilani graduate turned organic farmer in the city, says that it is only when people wear khadi clothes more often that weavers would have enough work in their hands.
“All of our close relatives stuck to the theme of khadi clothing. And I personally gifted about 25 of my friends khadi dresses so that they could wear the same and come for our wedding. For the rest of the guests, while giving the invite, we requested them to stick to khadi clothing, and said that we would feel happy if they came to the wedding in khadi. But beyond that, we couldn't force them to wear it. Some did wear khadi by choice while others preferred different styles, depending on availability,” explains Sidhartha.
Satya wore an orange saree with a subtle floral design and golden border, pairing it with a hand embroidered kalamkari blouse. Sidhartha wore a white sherwani with beads and a kalamkari shawl that matched the bride's blouse.
It's not only about promoting khadi or following eco-friendly practices, Sidhartha says. The cost of the clothes was less than half of what they would have spent if they'd opted for traditional silks. Besides, the khadi clothes were also comfortable for the couple who had to stand for long hours, receiving guests.
But this is not the first time that Sidhartha's family has gone the khadi way. "When my sister got married, we opted for khadi-themed clothing. It was all in plain colours. But this time, to inspire others to follow us and make them understand that khadi can also be considered luxury clothing, we went for designer khadi. It cost Rs 20,000 each for the bride and the groom. It would have easily been Rs 50,000 each for a suit or lehenga," he says. The couple got Studio Vestem Khadi in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, to design their clothes.
While the invite was made with plant paper that had embedded tulasi seeds, the return gifts were seed balls containing the seeds of two flowering and two fruit bearing plants each. This included custard apple, guava, clitoria ternatea and laburnum.
