The Special E

{we♥it}

Since I've been planning this wedding of ours, I've felt a little sick inside of how wasteful a lot of things are that go into this day.  I mean, the flowers cost so much, and so much work is put into them for one day of glory.  The caterers are preparing extra meals in case we don't have enough, which is a nice backup, but what happens to the food that isn't gobbled up?!  Earlier, I was sifting through my wedding email account, going through emails I"ve bookmarked for the ceremony, music, etc., and I stumbled across an email from brides.com about The Special E. 

So here's how it works:

• Contact The Special E, letting them know the details of your event (weddings, trade shows, parties, etc).  They will then return with an estimate of their rescue fee.
• The details are then worked out behind-the-scenes (they contact the caterer or whomever is appropriate, so you don't have to deal with all that stuff)
• Next, they identify the organizations to donate to.  So your pretty flowers could be heading towards a nursing home to brighten up some days, or the food could be going as leftovers to a shelter.  Pretty cool.
• Their "rescue squad" arrives at the designated time to whisk away all the goods that your kind heart is giving to someone in need.  They even donate the bridesmaid dresses (if you wish to part ways)

And voila!

Another added bonus: for events such as weddings, expenses like flowers and dresses can be treated as charitable deductions on your tax returns!