I am a huge believer in reusing ceremony décor to add to the reception. This helps with budget and it’s always nice to be able to use the flowers for as long as possible.
You can reuse all sorts of different flowers and the possibilities are endless as to what you can do. You can use shepherd hooks, have hedges or arrangements going down the aisle, and reuse candles, and the sprays from your arch. Honestly, the possibilities are endless. Here are a few things to keep in mind when re-using.
- Timing: You don’t want your guest’s first impression of your reception to be the florist leaning over them to put a centerpiece on the table. Cocktail hour is a great solution for this. It keeps the guests occupied while the ceremony transfer is being done.
- Weather: Sometimes things shouldn’t be reused because they won’t last. If your flowers don’t have a water source, or the greenery will be baking in the sun for hours, it’s probably best to have a secondary plan. The winter is honestly worse for flowers than the summer. If it is too cold, the flowers will freeze and then when they are brought inside they will wilt. This is something to discuss with your florist.
- Don’t reuse garland that has been placed on the floor as table centerpieces, even if it’s just to accent. You can still reuse this, but use it on the fireplace mantle instead.
- Design: This part is for your florist to advise you on. But, when you have the plan to transfer ceremony items to use as centerpieces, they need to be designed in a way that is good for both.
- If your arch is movable, have it transferred to the reception for a cool photo op for your guests. The arch also looks great behind sweetheart tables or accenting the dessert table.
- Keep a vase on your table for your bouquet. By the end of your ceremony, your bouquet’s going to be thirsty, and you will want to keep it in good condition for preservation or to enjoy the next day. Have a vase on the sweetheart table to put it in so it’s not sitting out on the table all night. It’s also a beautiful decoration.
- Not all florists offer full service. I offer delivery, transfer, and cleanup to all my couples, but not every florist does. If they only drop off, how will the items be transferred? You will need to have someone in charge of this because you will be too busy on your wedding day to want to manage this.
If you want to chat about how I re-use ceremony flowers and what some great ideas would be for your ceremony, give me a ring. I love to brainstorm.