Guest blogger: Kate Harrison, creator of greenbrideguide.com.
After planning her own green wedding in 2007, Kate wrote the best-selling green wedding book, The Green Bride Guide: How to Plan an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget (Sourcebooks, 2008). In 2009, she founded greenbrideguide.com to help couples use their weddings to promote social and environmental change while supporting the local green economy. Kate has a JD in Environmental Law and a Master's from Yale in Environmental Policy.

Costs add up so quickly when you're planning a wedding. The good news, though, is that you don't have to purchase brand new items for every single aspect of your big day. If you take a look around your home, local thrift stores and flea markets, you'll be surprised at what you can repurpose into wedding décor with a little creativity.

And, of course, aside from saving costs, adding repurposed décor has another great benefit: you will help the environment by reducing the amount of waste generated by your wedding. You'll also create a unique aesthetic that will be all the talk of your wedding!

Here are my top five favorite repurposed wedding décor ideas.

1. DIY Cupcake Stands Made from Old Plates and Vases 
There’s a certain charm to mismatched vintage plates and vases. Shop for a variety of plate and vase designs that you love.

Photo via Michelle Obama on Pinterest

On October 3, Michelle and President Barack Obama will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. But this election season's first Presidential debate has thrown a major wrench in any celebratory plans — it'll take place that very night in Denver, CO.

"I learned yesterday — just yesterday [of the date]. I was like really, really? The first presidential debate is on my 20th anniversary?" the First Lady told Access Hollywood. But she's taking it in stride: "All I said was, 'At least we'll be together.'"

The couple, currently campaigning separately, will meet up in Denver for the debate and celebrate in their own way.

"I'll see him right before and I'll watch him on stage," she said. "I'll give him a kiss after the debates and [say], 'Happy Anniversary.'

"I'm going to make him write it on his hand. 'Love you, honey' so that when he waves, it makes 'I love you honey,'" she added. 

—Kristen O'Gorman Klein

My husband and I are throwing our wedding reception at the Soledad Club, a former women’s club perched high above Pacific Beach, with incredible views. We're having an evening celebration and we want to light up the interior in a special way. I’ve listed fifteen ideas here that will serve as inspiration.

1. Cluster candles into groups. After the sun sets, we’d love to have the tables glow, too. These centerpieces are compromised almost entirely out of candlelight.

In a quest to learn English, Jessica, 18, of Brazil, joined a language-learning website called SharedTalk. What she didn't expect was to fall in love with someone who lives nearly 5,600 miles away. After Kenny, 23, of Belgium contacted Jessica to help her learn the language, the two quickly became friends, spending hours "laughing and talking about everything and nothing." 

"It all started so natural," wrote Jessica on her website. "We had so much in common. He liked me the way I am, and I had the same feeling for him."

Soon, the couple found themselves talking for 12 hours straight and sleeping with the webcam on to spend more time together. After about a year of dating long-distance, Kenny proposed in a sweet video. Jessica, appropriately, responded with a video of her own, below. And on October 31, Kenny will fly to Brazil to meet Jessica and her family for the first time. 

"Two countries, two cultures, two languages, many obstacles and only one heart."

Tell us: Would you agree to marry someone you've never met in person?

—Kristen O'Gorman Klein

One couple received a truly memorable gift from our Commander-in-Chief after he nearly became an unintentional wedding crasher at their September 1 nuptials.

President Obama planned a last-minute rally at the Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa on September 1, attracting about 10,000 supporters — but he and his team made sure to wrap it up an hour before the couple's wedding ceremony was scheduled to start so that the two events wouldn't conflict.

"The staff and Secret Service were very gracious about it, and when it was over, they received this gift and note," a friend of the couple posted on Reddit. 

Photo Credit: Loren Paul

What a great keepsake from their big day! 

—Kristen O'Gorman Klein