Wedding

Five rules for picking a wedding present, eight gift ideas from cutlery sets to Egyptian cotton towels, and what to sort out when you set up a gift list.

Four reception venues around New Jersey and Long Island, each with its indoor and outdoor guest capacity and the quoted wedding cost for 100 guests.

Nine small reception ideas: a lounge between dances, guest greeters, novelty transport, welcome bags, a bubbly bar and a room set aside for babies.

Four wedding color palettes - jewel tones, azalea and blue, navy with cream rose, gray with green - and the season and mood each one is suited to.

Money-saving wedding steps that add up: hand-painted invites, online RSVPs, vendor discounts, a standing ceremony, family-style meals and double-duty flowers.