5 Ways to Save Repurposing Wedding Decor
There are some key things you have to take into consideration when you think about repurposing wedding decor. First, it’s not for everyone. This article can be for any bride with any sort of budget. No matter where you stand, the inconvenience of repurposing may be too much, and you may decide it’s just not worth it. Second, if you have a ceremony location separate from your reception location, repurposing is more challenging. You’ll see why when you look at the reasons below. Third, if you don’t have a day of coordinator with a team of people, it can also make repurposing more challenging! Taking those things into consideration as you read through these 5 ways to repurpose is crucial.
Let’s hop into it!
1. Ceremony arch/backdrop/florals: When you plan your ceremony, you will likely have some kind of backdrop to stand in front of with your officiant. Most of the time that is an arch. But it can also be a peak or two floating pillars or two large floral pieces on pedestals, or whatever it is. This is needed for the ceremony, but after your ceremony is done, it’s just sitting there with no one to look at it the rest of the evening. Why not reuse it? When you have your wedding at The Press Room, they’ll repurpose it to sit behind your head table, positioned right behind you and your spouse. If you have your wedding at The Quarry Venue, they will move it to be a little photobooth set up where your guests can come get an iPhone photo during the reception. This is a perfect piece to repurpose because it can be moved while your guests are at cocktail hour before!
2. Bridal and bridesmaids bouquets: There are two repurposing opportunities with these. First, they can serve as centerpieces or table decor at the reception. Once your bridesmaids enter the reception, they no longer carry their bouquets around. They are mostly just sitting at the table wilting. Why not reuse them? This takes a little forethought so make sure your coordinator knows to have some empty vases on the tables. Sometimes, couples will choose to line the head table with these. Other times, they will use them as accent pieces on the cake, gift, and guestbook tables. Whatever you want to do, they are great for repurposing. The second way to repurpose the bouquets are by using one of the bridesmaid bouquets as your toss bouquet. There is no reason to pay for a small bouquet just for tossing. Your bridesmaids aren’t doing anything with their bouquets after the wedding day! Use one of theirs!
3. Frames: Lots of couples use picture frames filled with photos of them at the rehearsal dinner for decoration. Make sure those frames coordinate with your wedding decor and use them on the wedding day, too! Then, take it one step further and use them to decorate your new home after the wedding day or as gifts to parents/grandparents filled with wedding photos!
4. Rehearsal dinner florals: Anytime I photograph the rehearsal dinner and see it was professionally designed by a florist, I always ask to take a vase at the end of the night to bring with me the morning of the wedding to use as detail flowers. I love repurposing florals this way because you don’t have to pay extra for me to have flowers, and I usually get better florals this way. I LOVE shooting with ranunculus which florists use a lot in vases, but I rarely get some in my detail florals when couples pay extra for a vase of detail florals. Also, sometimes the florist doesn’t get to the wedding as early as I do, and I have to wait for them to get there to start using florals in your detail photos. When I use the rehearsal dinner florals, however, they come in with me, and I can start as soon as I get there!
5. Candles: Candles look so good in the ceremony. Whether you use them as aisle liners or behind you as you get married, you can repurpose those to go on the “extra” tables at the reception such as the cake, gift, guestbook, or bar area. Make sure you have them inside tall vases so you can just pick the vase up and move it without the flame blowing out! Plus, it will protect it from getting knocked over on the dessert table and bar! Use varying height candles and vases to add a more interesting eye appeal when you redecorate with them at the reception!
The key to thinking through repurposing is making sure you have someone to move these items for you. It can’t be your family because your family will be needed for photos directly following the ceremony. It needs to be either a coordinator or an aunt/cousin who isn’t needed for family photos. If you choose a coordinator, make sure she has an assistant who can help her because she is also going to have her hands full getting your guests to cocktail hour and making sure everything is going smoothly there while your guests are waiting for the reception to start. Clearly communicate to this person exactly what you want to repurpose and how you want to repurpose it and make sure they know they are responsible for grabbing it right after the ceremony and moving it to the reception for you! As soon as I get done with family photos, I will take a couple of portraits of the two of you before I head to the reception to take your reception detail photos before your guests enter. We want to have all your repurposed decor there when I’m taking detail photos!
Some may decide it’s too much to try and do it, some may decide it’s totally worth it to not have to pay for double of these things! Whatever your decision, know that it’s the right one for you, and everyone will be different as they weigh the pros and cons!
Hope this helped!! Happy planning, friends!
I’m a Knoxville Wedding Photographer that loves to travel. I shoot anywhere! Click here to contact me with any questions you have about pricing or booking! If you liked what you saw above, go ahead and follow me on Facebook or Instagram to see my daily updates of the latest sessions!
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