Meaningful wedding gifts don't have to cost a lot. Use these ideas from other iVillage women to congratulate the new couple without overspending.

• ''Why not ask the relatives and friends for their favorite recipes and accompanying stories about the bride and groom. Have them write the recipes and stories (or copy them yourself) with an acid-free pen on acid-free paper so they will last a long time. You insert each sheet into an acid-free page sleeve. Put them in a binder (decorate it!) and -- voila -- a wonderful gift for the new bride and groom.''
  
  
• ''About 20 years ago in one of my former jobs, a bridal shower was planned at work for a fellow employee who loved tuna fish! Everybody contributed their favorite recipe using tuna fish to a darling little handmade recipe box. It was very personal and she was so touched, she cried.''
  
  
• ''Put together an address book with both families' names, addresses, emails, birthdays and anniversaries. While they have a wedding list with addresses, it's great to have all this information in one place.''
  
  
• ''Find a nice frame -- if you shop around you can find very nice ones for as little as $5. Then take their wedding invitation and use either the front or the inside with the wording on it and insert it into the frame.''
  
  
• ''A friend of mine received a basket with wine, glasses and a corkscrew -- not to be opened until the couple's first anniversary. It was the topic of many conversations throughout the year, and they had great fun toasting on their anniversary.''
  
  
• ''The last engagement party that I went to, I gave them a cake knife/server. It was sterling silver and I got it at an after-Christmas sale for $15.''
  
  
• ''Baskets of inexpensive gifts make a big impression. I have given everything from a sewing kit to a laundry basket full of laundry supplies to a nice basket of body oils and loofah sponges for a lingerie theme (if you're wearing skimpy lingerie you better have nice smooth skin!). You can buy many of these items on sale or at a dollar store, but the packaging and thought make it special.''
  
  
• ''A decorated photo box gives the couple a great gift that can hold snapshots from the wedding. I went to my favorite paper store and found a kit to make a drop-spine box -- which sort of looks like a book that's big enough to hold about 150 4x5 photos. The kit with instructions cost $6, the special paper glue was $7 (a pint of acid-free paper glue that I can use for several more projects), the handmade paper to decorate it was $2 and the ribbon to close it was about $2.50. It took about two hours total, drying time included, and came out very pretty!''
  
  
• ''Holiday decorations can be a welcome gift to a newly married couple, especially those starting out on a budget. Money can be too tight to buy festive decorations when other basics are needed, but they help make the first year of celebrations special. By following the after-holiday sales throughout the year, and picking up decorations at 50% to 75% off, you can put together a collection of year-round holiday decorations for very little money, or you can focus on one holiday.''
  
  
• ''My favorite gift is either a Meyer lemon tree (they thrive in my area) or a gift certificate for a local nursery. The great thing about a small indoor tree of any kind is that over time the couple can see how the tree how grown just as their relationship has.''