Dare to Dream? Dare to Scheme

Kids' Wedding

Bill and Eloise Alles, the parents of three daughters, came up with a King Lear solution to how they would pay for each girl's wedding.

They made this decision long before the girls were married. The money would be taken out of the family savings and all three daughters would get the same amount to spend on their respective ceremony and reception. Whatever they didn't spend, they could keep.

"The weddings got smaller and smaller," recalled Eloise, with a laugh. "The first one was in a church, the second was in our backyard and the third was in our living room."

Fortunately, none of the daughters wanted to take extravagant honeymoons, so that helped pay for the caterers and the wedding dresses.

And the Alles family, who live in Battle Creek, Michigan, have never been much for elaborate pomp and circumstance. "We have always been sort of off-hand about things," said Eloise, who is 77. "We do what we can afford and that's it. And we feel good about it."

Get online tips for planning and saving when putting on the big event.