Say 'I do'

The average wedding is said to cost $22,000 these days. That's a lot of Three-Buck Chuck (6,285 bottles, to be exact) and Costco hors d'oeuvres.

For the cost-conscious bride and groom, we've got five tips for a more affordable wedding. Perhaps you'll need to max out only one credit card to have the wedding of your dreams.



Realtor blues: As if the housing slump weren't enough, real estate agents now face competition from Web-based brokerages.

The Internet agencies may have an efficiency edge, and we imagine they've got the peculiar lingo down pat ("Fully treed lot! Gourmet kitchen! Territorial views!").

But flesh-and-blood Realtors retain one crucial advantage: gold sport jackets.



Grown-ups only: There's a lot to like about the new breed of movie theaters: beer and cocktails instead of soda pop, actual food instead of popcorn spritzed with imitation butter product, and perhaps best of all, no squealing children.

Sounds a lot like movie night in The Buzz's living room.

And if someone asks, "Why did you pick this crappy movie?" the resemblance will be uncanny.

-- Mark Carlson, Herald staff