Of course you'd like to reward everyone who's participating in the wedding ceremony with a sit-down dinner that rivals Babette's feast, but at this point one must be practical. In other words, money's getting tight. Still, there's no need to revert to the time-honored chicken breast, white rice, and broccoli. Not when you can be serving our dazzling-yet-economical variation of the above theme -- one that includes such showstoppers as chicken breasts rolled up with small but flavorful amounts of prosciutto and rice cooked with oranges, carrots, and pecans.

Because rehearsal dinners often include young people, here's a menu that they can savor, too. Especially dessert: Chocolate Cake With Cheese Filling. Everyone will be toasting this dinner.