Wedding frames, used to display the couple's parents on their wedding day.

It seems fitting we would be celebrating our third wedding anniversary yesterday. It’s been a few years but it seems like yesterday we were dancing under the big white tent, in the middle of a corn field with 175 of our favorite people in the world alongside us. We find ourselves reliving that day often, probably in large part due to the fact our house is a tribute to that day and is filled with all of the decor, colors, and items that surrounded us on that very special day in our lives.

It’s easy to become overwhelmed with choices while planning your wedding. Price is always important, but sometimes our vision seems more important and we often make fast and clouded decisions with the expectation of re-selling things later. But sometimes it’s just not that easy! Re-selling wedding decor isn’t a simple task — whether it’s style, season, or even shipping costs, many things can deter potential buyers.

Have no fear: there’s another way to go about your wedding purchases, and that’s smart buying! We chose items we knew we could hang onto and could easily translate into our home decor. After a few effortless projects, it became a fun challenge to see what else we would be able to incorporate! (It also helps if you have a contractor in the family!)

Here are a few examples and hopefully inspirational ideas of how to hold onto your wedding decor and keep your memories from the big day front in center in your everyday lives. Enjoy!

Barrels

We were married on my family’s farm but reside in Richmond, VA. We are big fans of Hardywood Park Craft Brewery and had arranged to purchase two of their large whisky barrels. Very heavy as a whole, we decided to cut them in half and make unique side tables for our living room furniture.

Barrels from the wedding reused as side tables in your home.

Lighting

The chandelier from our big white tent was a fun, cheap find purchased for $78. We could have rented one for a couple hundred, but why rent, when the purchase was so much cheaper. Once we bought our first home we knew the perfect place to hang it — right above our dinning room table. In addition to the chandelier, we were able to use all of the bistro lighting in our back yard making it fun and celebratory every night. We also held onto our marquee BAR sign and have found a home for it under our decanter collection.

Freebird imagery couple dancing at wedding

Freebird Imagery repurposed light from wedding reception

Freebird Imagery letter lights that read "bar"

Freebird Imagery bar lights on bottom shelf of decorative hall table

Freebird Imagery outdoor string of mini lightbulbs

Freebird Imagery lights repurposed for front porch lighting

Seating Chart

I found some very old window panels in Caravati’s, an architectural salvage store in Richmond. There are so many ways to incorporate window panels into your home decor, but we landed on making them into a neutral headboard for our guest bedroom, saving us from buying a whole new bed frame!

Freebird Imagery refinished window frames as headboard

Bar

We wanted a rustic look for our bars at the wedding. My dad spent hours making us two wooden pallet bars with bright colorful tops. It didn’t take any upcycling, just a quick move on the truck bed, but now the bar that was once dishing out wedding drinks is a fun addition to our little fenced-in backyard in the city of Richmond.

Freebird Imagery bar in backyard with potted plants

Tiles

The whole wedding theme started with Talavera Tiles. We love color and patterns, and wanted to incorporate these in as many ways as possible. They lined the aisle for the wedding, we added them to our homemade arbor, and we made coasters for each guest as a keepsake from the day. Luckily we saved a few for ourselves and they come in handy often for both indoor and outdoor entertaining! We also plan to do a bathroom renovation with the remaining supply soon.

Freebird Imagery couple kisses under Talavera tile arbor

Freebird Imagery stacks of tiles as coasters

Dance Floor

Rather than paying to rent a dance floor, we chose to buy and treat a few pieces of plywood because it was vastly less expensive. I wanted a little color on the floor to match our multicolor theme so I was able to stencil a fun pattern along the corners and in the center of the dance floor. With a new home there’s always a few things you want to add, and having some extra wood on hand makes those projects move along a lot faster. We were able to use the dance floor to create shelving in our living room and storage in our basement. My father also used one of the leftover wooden pallets to create a rolling bar cart and the shelves were also made out of the floor and a keepsake portion of the stencil is included. It’s a constant reminder of our big day!

Freebird Imagery little boy on dance floor

Freebird Imagery plywood repainted for bookshelf

Freebird Imagery wood pallet made into cart

Freebird Imagery close image of painted decoration on cart

Centerpieces

We picked out a variety of lanterns, floral pots, photo frames and other fixed items for centerpieces and outdoor decor for our rustic wedding. We also had wood slices for centerpiece stands for each guest table. These are probably the easiest items to translate into your home. Just sit them around your home where they fit in best or make the most sense. We were able to add them to our dining room, bedroom, the backyard, and even the kitchen to create those finishing touches.

Freebird Imagery lantern in front of living room fireplace

So there you have it. Our two cents! We hope it’s helpful when planning your perfect wedding day, especially if you’re a DIY couple looking to consolidate costs, but keep your personal style in tact for years to come.

DEVIN PILSON

Devin Pilson currently works as the Community Relations & Events Manager for Kendra Scott Short Pump. She and her husband reside in Richmond, Virginia’s Fan District with their Yorkie-Poo, Trixie. Devin has a rich history in corporate events, wedding planning, conferences and festivals and has worked for Glint Events, Richmond Magazine and Virginia Commonwealth University. In her free time you can often find her working on craft and upcycling projects. She and her husband love outdoor adventuring, travel, food, and craft beer. Devin has contributed to many print and online publications such as Richmond Magazine, R*Home, Style Me Pretty and Borrowed and Blue.