And on we go…

Six bridesmaids a crafting
If you want handmade wedding invitations, event favors or centerpieces, a great way to recruit some cheap labor to help you in your efforts is to turn your bridal shower or bridesmaids’ luncheon into a craft hour. This isn’t to say that you should make the entire event about creating stuff for your event, but it could serve as a fun activity between opening gifts and eating/drinking.

Five vans a hauling guests
I was at a wedding this summer (in sweltering, late-June St. Louis where the heat index was a whopping 110 degrees) where the bride and groom rented large people-mover vans to transport their event guests in lovely air-conditioned vehicles from the hotel to the ceremony to the reception and back to the hotel. This was a great idea, first because it was sweltering and it was nice to step into a very cool vehicle, second because many of us were from out of town and didn’t exactly know how to get around, and third because most of us had been drinking.

Four babysitters a sitting
Hiring a sitting service for all the babies and toddlers in the crowd can be a big plus, especially at the reception so that many guests don’t have to hire sitters for the entire afternoon and evening and so they don’t have to leave so early.

Three charities a thanking
A nice thought is to give guests the opportunity to donate to a charity of your choice as part of their wedding gift to you. My wife and I are big animal lovers (we have two chocolate labs) and we chose a few shelters and dog rescue outfits.

Two people an event planning
Brides aren’t the only people who are good and able event planners. Grooms can and should contribute in their own ways (helping in the venue selections, drink and food selections, guest list formulation), and brides should let their guys know that they want them to help out (even if it’s stuffing invitation envelopes … remember, we’re usually pretty good at the manual labor stuff).

One big day a coming-sooner-than-you-think
Most people put their event days a ways out, but it always gets here sooner than you think, and take my word that the day itself goes by in a blur. So take time to enjoy the process of planning a wedding event and in sharing the experience with your spouse-to-be.