Stretching Your Dollars

• Compare prices, negotiate fees, request bulk discounts and buy wholesale wherever possible.

• If viable, choose a time and day when facilities may be less expensive and a meal other than an expensive dinner can be served.

• Attractive paper, ink stamps and a high-quality computer printer can professionalize and personalize self-made invitations and thank-you cards.

• Investigate non-traditional sites: the vacation homes or houses of family and friends, college chapels and clubs that give rental discounts to alumni and affiliates, historical sites just outside of town, public beaches and parks.

• Decorate with dried or home-grown flowers, or potted plants, and look for attractive alternatives such as candles, or fabric bows.

• Consider alternative gift registries to meet practical needs: Start an account at a travel agent to pay for the honeymoon trip or a hardware store for home supplies; remember to add photo frames and albums to the list so that you won't need to buy them later.

• Finally, never succumb to commissioned salespeople, never buy on impulse, and make sure you've got absolutely everything in writing.