Ideas That Spark

edding brunch for 80? Family reunion for 150? It's the perfect season to celebrate life's special events. And because keeping costs down is on top of everyone's party to-do list, we asked the most fun-loving frugalistas we could find to share their secrets. It turns out a big budget isn't nearly as important as big ideas. "Creativity and personal touches definitely outweigh the money you'd spend to do something chic and memorable," says Erika Lenkert, author of The Last-Minute Party Girl : Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining (Contemporary Books 2003). "The more personal it is, the more impact is leaves."