Whether you want to save some money or reduce waste, recycling and reusing wedding items is something you should consider. The problem is that most people do not know how to recycle their wedding items. If you are in this situation, there are a few methods you can try.
Recycling Your Wedding Dress
The idea of recycling your wedding dress can be strange for some people, but other people have no problem with this. If you do not want to part with your dress, you need to store it correctly. However, if you are open to recycling your dress, there are a few options available.
The first is to donate your dress. There are many charities who sell on wedding dresses or you could donate it to a bride in need. If you know someone who is good at sewing, you could transform your wedding dress into a children’s gown or baptism gown, if you are religious.
Recycling Flowers
The floral arrangements from your wedding can be seen as wasted because they do not last very long. One of the best ways to recycle them is to give them to your guests as keepsakes from the day. You could also look at donating them to local nursing homes or hospitals to help brighten them.
While you plan your wedding, you should also talk to your florist about any arrangements they might have for floral donations. Some florists have agreements with local businesses that take flowers from weddings.
Recycling Your Invitations
While you have little control over what people do with invitations once they get them, you can still make them easier to recycle. Most people will put the invitation into their paper recycling once they have responded. To change this cycle, you can look at wedding invitations that you can plant.
These invitations are printed on seed paper which grows herbs or wildflowers depending on what you choose. All your recipients need to do is put the invitation in some soil and they will soon have plants. Not only does this take care of recycling, but it is also good for the environment.
Recycling The Food
Food waste is something that everyone should avoid because there are a lot of people who are going hungry. One of the ways to avoid food waste is to tell your guests that they can take what is left over. If this is something you want to avoid, there is another way to recycle the food.
When you plan everything with your caterers, you should make arrangements to have the left-over food boxed up. This is something that many venues will also be open to. The leftovers can then be taken to a local food shelter so they can feed people who are in need. You should contact the local shelter to know that you will be doing this.
Recycling The Décor
Décor and wedding favors are often left at the end of the wedding and you need to find something to do with them. One of the ways to avoid this waste is to not have any wedding favors. Of course, this is not something many couples are comfortable with.
If you are going to have favors and décor, you need to collect it at the end of the night. You can then donate it, re-purpose items or give them away through online marketplaces.
Recycling your wedding items is not as hard as you might imagine. It is possible to donate most items from your wedding dress to the décor. The perishable items such as food and flowers can be donated to charities and businesses that help others.