Considering Others — by Guest Mom Beth Longtine

One of the most expensive elements of a wedding is feeding everyone. To stay within your budget, consider simpler faire, or decrease your guest list, like we did. As I said before, good food was a priority for my son and daughter-in-law, so the option was cutting down the numbers. And. If you have great friends who want to help, ask if they are willing to help serve. We cut down on two servers by enlisting willing friends, and it made it so much more fun to have them there.

Be considerate of your guest’s limitations. Consider limiting the number of showers you invite people to, as it can often be a burden to purchase these extra gifts. Be sure to include inexpensive options on your gift registry, or express to your guests that gifts are not essential. I am sure at least a few guests will breath a sigh of relief.
Also be aware of the financial burden you may be placing on your attendants. Between buying or renting clothes, travel expenses and buying gifts, a wedding can be a huge expense for them. If you can limit the cost in any way, it will be greatly appreciated.

Something to Remember: What most people want to carry away from your wedding is the memory of a happy couple, not the price tag.

Note from Design Mom: Thank you, Beth for all the economical ideas this week! Also. The picture at the top features the hip wedding favors that Gwen and Joel created. Mini moleskin notebooks tied with bakers twine and a label from Stuck they printed themselves — half the labels had an image of Gwen's hair, the other half of Joel's hair. So great!