MONEY MATTERS
      The question is, does money matter when it comes to this once-in-a-lifetime event? 
Maybe the answer everyone wants to hear is Paula LeDuc's response. "The recession sure 
hasn't hit weddings!" says the owner of Paula LeDuc Fine Catering in Emeryville, California, 
which tends to work with a higher-end clientele. Yet other event professionals who also work with upscale clients say the hard economic times are reflected in a thorough consideration of expenses by clients. "People are careful how they spend their money," says Renee Symans, co-owner of 5 & R Original Events in Tarzana, California. Like many other expenditures, people want value for their money, and many don't want to appear ostentatious. "In the 1980s, people would spend tons of money," David Tutera of Design By Masque in New York says. "Now they don't want to come across as spending a lot, even if they do."Perhaps the most obvious way to cut back is by shortening the guest list. Roberta Deem of Capers in Los Angeles saw one guest list go from 300 to 75 guests. Not all cuts are as drastic, but maybe David Buck of Great Performances in New York sizes it up best when he remarks, "I think people aren't inviting that fourth cousin anymore."Guest lists versus budgets is an area where one plus one equals three. Jim Gallagher of Partytime Productions in Chicago points out that he could have a wedding for 50 guests with a budget of $100,000 and another one for 500 guests and $75,000. "It just vanes with each client," Gallagher says. And those clients might not be the mother of the bride anymore. "With the bode and groom paying for it themselves, they are a lot more cost-conscious," explains Tracey Amernick of The Westin Mission Hills Resort in California. The first-time bride and groom in their twenties is no longer the norm. Many couples 
are celebrating a second or third marriage and have well-established careers, which allows them to be more specific about their needs, and also spend what they can afford. The bottom line is, yes, money matters for the average wedding, and in most cases, even for the mega-weddings.