After your wedding, there are tons of leftover items such as food, flowers, centerpieces decorations, wine bottles, party and wedding favors. The question remains about what you should do with all of items. We just hate throwing perfectly good things away, so we came up with a list of items you can recycle or donate to charity after your wedding reception (Special E, 2009).

Live Flowers
Flowers and Centerpieces can be used at Sunday Service or even your guests might be willing to take home the flowers as keepsake reminders of the special day. Those items can also be donated to nursing homes or children’s hospitals to brighten up spirits of an individual who is sick. Some bridesmaids have a keepsake shadow box with an invitation, put dried flowers in the box, and use the shadow box as wall art. Another idea is that live flowers can also be turned in to potpourri for gift giving.

Silk Flowers
Brides have been known to have each of the bridesmaids take their bouquets or centerpiece arrangements home with them as a keepsake. However, if you want to make some money you could sell on your items on BravoBride or Ebay.

Food
There are church programs that offer special lunches to people in need on certain days of the week or there are rescue programs, which take the leftovers to feed the hungry and homeless.

Candles
Used or Unused candles can be provided for emergency supplies to families that have lost long-term access to electrical power due to a major storm or natural disaster. If you know someone that has a fireplace in their home, they can collect candle wax and mix candle wax with the wood chips to make fire starters for their fireplace.

Wedding Favors
Wedding favors can be given as thank you gifts to caregivers, nurses, teachers, food pantry workers, and other individuals donate their time or assist those in need.

Wine Bottles
Wine bottle corks or caps can be reused as jewelry or decorative crafting projects. Proceeds from these items will be donated to relief agencies and charitable organizations.

Programs and Tent Cards
Left over programs and tent cards can be donated and recycled for other useful products.

If you do not have time to donate to local programs yourself after your wedding reception, we found this wonderful website named Special E. Before the wedding, assign one of your bridesmaids or groomsmen to this special task after the wedding reception. If you are using Special E, this service comes in after an event and items are donated to different places such as homeless shelters, soup kitchens, missions, churches, food pantries, nursing homes, hospitals, schools, recycling centers, and relief agencies around the world. Special E has a list of items they accept, so be sure to visit their website at http://www.thespeciale.com or email them for more information at info@thespeciale.com.

Remember, recycling is beneficial to you and our environment!

A Wedding Vendor Blogger for Weddzilla, The Budget-Minded Bride, and WicksnCandlesticks