Written By Melissa Reardon
Photographs By Lucy Cuneo
A transplant from Virginia, Weston “Wes” McAfee vividly remembers the first time he saw his future bride-to-be. Charleston native Dana Elaine...
Getting married in the Charleston area? Contact nonprofit rEvent and after you've exited your reception, all the blooms left behind will be gathered, reworked into petite arrangements, and hand-delivered to
hospital beds at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), rooms throughout the Ronald McDonald House, and other local groups in need of pick-me-up's.
rEvent started when South Carolina native Sarah Bella Slagsvol left her job as special events manager at ELLE magazine and moved from the Big Apple to the Holy City. The concept of collecting and redistributing event florals (and nonperishable items like linens, vases, and more) to area charitable organizations was something she'd seen elsewhere, but not here. “I recognized a void within the event industry for a simple solution to make events more sustainable,” says Bella, who, in addition to repurposing florals from weddings and events in town, has already teamed up with star planners including Tara Guérard and Mitchell Crosby, among others, to make community shindigs like College of Charleston’s A Charleston Affair, the Charleston Animal Society’s annual gala, and January’s mayoral inauguration more sustainable.
What's in it for you? Brides and grooms who enlist rEvent simply schedule a pickup time online and choose the charitable organization that will receive their donation. Her services are free, and your donation is tax-deductible. Arrangements can be personalized with the newlyweds’ names and wedding date or gifted anonymously; each way, the rEvent team will have skillfully crafted your blooms into gorgeous goodies sure to spread cheer. “We’re not merely relocating your flowers from point A to point B, we are creating a specially curated gift for a community member in need,” Bella says.
photograph courtesy of REvent
