You had the wedding of your dreams. The flowers and decor provided special touches to your beautiful venue. The wedding dress was stunning. All of it contributed to an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience with your spouse, family, and friends.

Suddenly, you realize now you need to take care of all the things that made your day what it was. Sometimes dealing with the myriad of wedding items following your celebration can be as daunting as getting everything ready. You invested your time and money to make or purchase these items for your wedding and you may wonder what to do with them afterwards. 

Here are some ideas for how you can upcycle wedding items you don’t wish to keep. 

1. Donate flowers to places like Random Acts of Flowers. Random Acts of Flowers will accept your wedding flowers to use for creating new arrangements to gift to hospitals, nursing homes, etc. While they have a limited area for pick up, they gladly take flowers that are dropped off by a family member, friend, or planner. They will provide information for you to use your donation as tax write off.

2. Give away or sell your items online. There are commonly thought of sites such as eBay, Craig’s List, and Facebook Marketplace to sell your things. If you want a place dedicated to wedding supplies, check out Knoxville Brides, a Facebook group extension from The Bride Link. As a free member, you can upload pictures of things you desire to sell or give away to other couples planning their wedding. These range from wedding attire to decor.

3. Leave your decor for your venue or wedding planner. Some venues and planners will accept your decor and make it available free of charge to other brides. Others will add it to their rental items available to brides. 

4. Donate to Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries. KARM takes donations to sell for good prices at their stores. Part of the money made goes to provide meals and other items for those in need.

5. If you do not want to keep your wedding dress, or bought a different one to wear, there are places you can sell it. There are several Knoxville consignment stores that will accept wedding dresses. Local bridal store, Loveliest Bridal, also accepts dresses on consignment. If you want more control over the price, an online route such as Knoxville Brides may be a good choice for you.  

    If you have wedding items you don’t want to keep, it can be rewarding to know they can make a difference in someone else’s life. Whether you choose to sell or give it away, your wedding decor can be re-purposed and give new beauty to another person’s wedding or home. Your beautiful flowers can brighten up a sickroom or nursing home room. Your wedding dress can be cherished by another happy bride with bright hopes and dreams. 

     Have you already done something similar following your wedding? Tell us!