You’ve just had the wedding of your dreams, then you wake up the next morning with all this stuff – extra invitations, save-the-dates, favors, table numbers, food, flowers, veil and even your dress. There are many ways to give these items a second life; here are a few ideas.
The Dress
- Have it reconstructed into a fabulous white dress to be worn on your 1st wedding anniversary or the marriage milestone of your choice. It can also serve as a great dress for a cocktail party, after being redesigned, of course.
- Have it made into a christening or baptism gown for your future child! The veil could also be used to add special touches to those items.
- Are you an arts & crafts bride? Use pieces of the gown to make Christmas stockings to hang over the fireplace in your new home.
- Turn it into a beautiful table linen for your formal dining room.
The Food
- The most popular option is donating it the following day to a shelter. Choose one close to your heart or one that benefits women and children.
- Hosting a brunch the day after the wedding at a restaurant? Opt for inviting guests to your parents’ home and serve the leftover food there instead.
- If you created a room block for guests, hotel salespeople might be inclined to give you a small meeting room at little or no cost.
- Did you choose not to invite church friends in order to keep costs to a minimum? Share details of the wedding and the leftover food the day after with your church family in the congregation hall.
- No co-workers on the guest list? Do the same thing at work the Monday following the wedding. Your co-workers will love A) the free food and B) to hear about every detail you can share during lunch hour!
The Flowers
- Use them to add décor to your brunch the day after the wedding.
- Share them with the bride who is getting married right after you or the following day. Split the cost with her and both of you can enjoy the beautiful flowers for half the price.
- Donate them to a local Senior Center, convalescent home or shelter.
- Allow the catering staff and/or guests to take the flowers home and enjoy them.
- Dry, frame and hang your bouquet in your home.
The Invitations
- Go green and opt for invitations printed on paper made of seeds. Instead of you and your guests throwing them away after the wedding, you all can add some flowers to your garden.
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I love these ideas. I don’t think these would’ve occurred to me, to be honest. I think donating the remaining food to a shelter is a great idea – no waste, and you’re making a few families very happy! In terms of the dress, my favorite pick is turning it into a christening dress for your future child – fabulous! Though you would have fabric left over, so perhaps I would use the rest as curtains
Thank you, Ann. That’s my favorite idea, as well. Some of them are popular things to do, but I wanted to give a few more. I’d take the food for brunch the next morning along with a couple of floral arrangements lol:)