After all of the flurry of activity of planning a wedding and making it through to the other side of the big event, many brides find that they can be almost a bit of a “letdown” as they settle into life living with another person and settling in to being a married couple.
When the ceremony and the reception are over, there can be stacks of wedding memories in the form of leftover items along with the photos. There may be crafting supplies, reception party favors and gifts, as well as the wedding attire. It’s a great idea to hang on to some of those special memories, however, when there is an overabundance of them in the form of extra “stuff”, it’s time to do a bit of de-cluttering and move on to the next phase of your life. Here are a few ideas, some of which are from a recent article at Brides.com to help you organize and even repurpose some of these items.
After the Ball
Earlier this year we shared a report about one bride donated reception food to a homeless charity when her wedding was called off. She held the reception anyway and was able to give joy to others by offering a meal and sharing what she had. You might be able to do something similar by donating leftover food by donating some of it to a local homeless shelter. There is almost always an overabundance of food after a wedding reception and you can help others by not letting it go to waste.
What to Do with Your Wedding Dress After the Wedding
One of the most cherished items attached to a wedding is your wedding dress. It can also be the most expensive. You could go the traditional route and save the dress in order to hand it down to a daughter you may have in the future, or you could give it a whole new life in other ways. You can also resell it at a local consignment shop or on resale sites such as eBay or at PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com.
For those brides that have a love of crafting, why not use parts of your wedding gown and incorporate it into your interior décor. There are scores of ideas on websites such as Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com) that have been fashioned into throw pillows, pieced into quilts, or made into beautiful holiday stockings, or used as part of a wedding memories shadow box to remind them of the happiest day of their lives.
Pass It Along
If you aren’t using something, pass it along to a friend or relative who might be planning their own wedding. It can be a real boon to someone to help save them a little on their own wedding budget. Levy reminds clients, “If they have the same taste and style, they’ll be so grateful!” Even online friends may be able to benefit and selling them on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or the many resale apps that are available.
Memories are a large part of what weddings are made of. What other ideas do you have for repurposing your gently used wedding items? Give us your ideas in our comment section. Or give Atlanta Wedding Décor a call for even more post-wedding ideas.
Contact Geri to schedule an appointment and let her help you plan your wedding or special event. Call us today at (404)558-1300.
