Ways to recycle wedding items

We all try to be environmentally conscious in our day to day lives, but how can you follow the “reduce reuse recycle” method when it comes to your wedding? Here are a few tips to set you on your way.

The Wedding Dress: You’ve got a few options here. First, you might consider donating-there’s lots of organizations that take wedding dresses for brides who need them. Or, keep it around if you think a relative or friend would want to wear it at their wedding. The message here is try not to let your dress collect dust in the closet, get creative and make it meaningful for someone else.

Floral. For most brides, the “go to” procedure for post-wedding floral is to distribute them amongst relatives and friends who want them. While this is a good option, there are a few others to consider. Just like your dress, think about donating them to local hospitals or nursing homes. Or, if you want to save some for keepsakes, or just for home décor, dry them. There’s a lot of ways to do this, click here for all the details. Basically drying them allows you to keep them for however long you want, without them losing any shape or color. You can try this yourself, but as always if you want perfect results consider going to a professional.   

Invitations. Let’s be honest, some people are going to throw out the invitation after the wedding. If you don’t want them to go to waste, (or if you just want to try something cool) purchase plantable invitations. They’re printed on seed paper that, when planted, grows wildflowers or herbs (your choice.) 

Food. Don't forget to talk to your caterer about boxing up leftovers at the end of the night, either for you and some guests, or a local food shelter. 

Favors + Decor Its no secret most couples end up with quite a few favors left. Some won't l take one, or some will forget to take it home.  Gather up the remaining favors, along with any other decorations you provided, and either donate or sell. There's lots of websites that offer easy access to selling wedding items. 

Photo credit: Pinterest