Weddings are wasteful parties. That sounds like a really negative thing for a bride-to-be to say, but it’s really true. When you think of all the paper that is printed for things like ceremony programs, menus, and reception cards; invitations, thank you cards, and random other informational and directional signs at the wedding, you also have to realize that the majority of your guests will never care enough to save any of these potentially expensive keepsakes (even more expensive if you choice pricey options like letterpress, foil print, or even hired a freaking calligrapher). That’s a lot of paper down the drain.

Then, there are things like flowers. We all love flowers, and when I say “we,” I mean most women. Yet all the hundreds of dollars you spent on wedding flowers will be tossed at the end of the wedding night. The arch that you chose to completely cover in flowers will be dismantled, and the flowers will be tossed into the garbage bin, if not the compost bin. The reception table centerpieces will be forgotten and also thrown away. The idea pained me, especially since no one coming to our wedding would be local, so I decided to donate all our wedding flowers to an assisted living facility. This way, many elderly people will be able to enjoy the flowers for at least the next four to five days, and the dollars we spent will not be for just a single night. Someone should be able to benefit from all these flowers for more than just a night, right, especially considering how much time it took for all these babies to blossom?