When you're spending hundreds (even thousands) of dollars on flowers, it can be hard to justify tossing them in the trash at the end of the night.

Here's a unique idea to give your flowers new life after the wedding—have them turned into a custom painting by sending them to Flowers Into Paintings!

How it works: Ship your flowers to the company as soon as possible after the wedding (within 10 days), following their tips on how to ship and keep your flowers fresh. They'll then dry and press the flowers, preserving them so that they can be incorporated into a beautiful painting.

Check out some of the gorgeous paintings that have been made:

However, a custom painting doesn't come cheap: The smallest size (12x16) costs $300. But for a personalized piece of art with such a significant meaning behind it, many couples think it's worth the cost.

Disagree? Here some other ideas to give your flowers second life that are easier on the wallet:

Donate Them: Use your flowers to brighten someone else's day by donating to a nursing home or hospital. While some hospitals may not accept them due to allergy concerns, others are even willing to  pick them up from your reception venue, so call around to see if any locations near your venue would be willing to take them.

The September/October 2011 issue of Bridal Guide is on the newsstands and you’re going to love it:

Not only will you find gorgeous gowns and lots of inspiring ideas for your wedding but when you flip the magazine over you’ll discover a special Your Home section:

We're obsessed with these two amazing Hogwarts-inspired weddings! Pulling off a theme wedding is difficult — especially when it comes to Harry Potter. There's a fine line between classy and looking like an 8-year-old's birthday party. But these two weddings fall firmly on the side of classy. Check them out!

Christine and Andy's Wedding

The first, courtesy of Geoff White Photographers, features a couple that actually met because of Harry Potter! Christine and Andy met online through a post about Harry Potter news, so it seemed only natural for their wedding to be influenced by the series.

Attention, all you Beantown brides (and very smaht Red Sox fans): How would you like to get a fabulously luxurious honeymoon stay for free? That’s right, I’m talking zip (as in the number of rings those damn Yankees have garnered in more than a decade). Well, there is a bit of a catch—but it’s an equally posh one. All you need to do is host your wedding at the Taj Boston—you know, it’s that gorgeous hotel on Newbury Street and the Public Gardens.