To Live and Wed in L.A. Mona Mars gives valuable advice for Hollywood starving artists' do-it-yourself wedding receptions. It's enough to see a casting call for a movie or visit Sundance to know that much of young Hollywood is composed of what we'll collectively call "starving artists." These aspiring actors, screenwriters and filmmakers (some of whom will be tomorrow's huge success stories) have their hormones in all the right places, which may eventually lead to marriage. Lest this fearless decision be undermined by fear--"What if our wedding looks cheap?!"--here are some pointers for an upscale, albeit "do-it-yourself" wedding. (Oxymoron? Yes. Accept it and have fun with it.) All you need is a backyard, good weather, several helping hands (that's what friends are for) and some know-how. We planned food, wine, flowers and cake for 100 guests, on a modest budget of less than $2,500. Three prerequisites for the plan to work: 1. Location, location, location. The most affordable wedding reception location is free. A friend's, relative's or maybe even your own garden. You'll want enough space for 80-100 guests with the food served food buffet-style. The most efficient use of space is with round tables of ten. If the largest available garden does not permit this plan, act bohemian and offer guests a picnic style seating--but do it with gusto. 2. Timing is everything. Obviously, a mid-summer afternoon is the only time you can really pull off this backyard wedding garden party. 3. A friend in need. You'll need help with arrangements, shopping, cooking, setting up the buffet, etc., the day before the nuptials. The bride must be completely relieved of any chores on the wedding day. FLOWERS The most elegant and least expensive table arrangement is based on a tall, 18"-20" narrow vase with a fluting out, heavier bottom (see photo), priced around $20. A few of your favorite long stem flowers arch out from the vase's mouth (here we used Stargazer lilies, at $4.50 per stem) and half a bunch of bear grass completes the fountain-like, shimmering effect. For visual balance and stability, put two papier-mache half-moon containers filled with florist's foam soaked in water in a wreath around the base of the centerpiece. Anchor ivy leaves, greenery and small flowers into the foam. The flowers should run no more than $15 per vase if bought in the right places. Our pics: Pavilions in West Hollywood, 310-273-0977; Flowers Wholesale in West Hollywood, 323-656-3077; or your local farmers market. The total bill? Around $400. WINE Source: Trader Joe's, the chic and inexpensive Angeleno's hang out that prides on its quality and affordability. Tom Darrow, store captain at a West Hollywood branch, suggested the following choices: Sparkling Wine: Just for a toast, TJ's private label, Schloss Biebrich at $3.99 a bottle, good for 5 people. For more than a toast, California's Gloria Ferrer at $12.99, one bottle for 2-3 persons. Chardonnay: Black Mountain (one of the bestselling wine in TJ's history), $4.99. Clos du Bois, $7.99. Cabernet: Black Mountain, $4.99. Beaulieu Vineyard Coastal, $6.99. The total bill? For a mix of these wines, the average total is around $300. www.traderjoes.com FOOD The Menu: Salad of grapefruit, avocado, Bibb lettuce (optional: add bay shrimp) Poached salmon with a tartar dressing, served with pasta salad and grilled vegetables. Hazelnut cake, coffee, tea Shopping Points Poached salmon at $2.50 per serving? Yes, at Santa Monica Seafood. If the fish is bought whole (at $4.99 per pound), they'll clean and fillet it. You need a little more than the customary 1/2-lb. per person to allow for what is lost when the fish is filleted (50 lbs.+). This is where you buy the optional bay shrimp ($9.99 per pound, good for 5 servings). Santa Monica Seafood, 310-393-5244. For pasta salad, either make your favorite or buy one you like from your supermarket's deli counter. For cake, B & L Gourmet Pastry Shop in L.A. offers a superbly delicious and beautifully decorated hazelnut cake for only $4.00 a serving. B & L Gourmet Pastry Shop, 310-271-8333. Work Flow: The Day Before Buy all of the ingredients. Poach the salmon and grill the vegetables; refrigerate all. Note: For poaching salmon you need two large skillets (minimum 10" in diameter at bottom, 2 1/2" high). Cook ten pieces, split between both pans, simultaneously (about 15 minutes total), and repeat the process ten times=3-4 hours, all told. For tomorrow's elegant presentation, you need to refrigerate in flat, stackable containers with one or, maximum, two layers of salmon. Poached Salmon Serves 10 5 pounds filleted salmon cut into pieces 2-2 1/2" wide (about 1/2 pound per person), sprinkled with salt 5 lemons, cut into 8 wedges each Two, 1/4"-thick slices of celery root, cut horizontally and quartered 1 teaspoon of whole allspice 4 bay leaves Split the salmon between two skillets and wedge the rest of the ingredients between the pieces of fish. Add enough water to just cover the salmon. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, simmer for around 10 minutes per one inch of thickness in the widest spot until the fish is cooked through. Remove the salmon into storage containers. Pour off the broth and other ingredients. Prepare the skillets again, and continue repeating the recipe until all of the salmon is poached. The Day Of To prepare the salad, peel and cut the grapefruit across into 1/2" slices. Refrigerate. As close as practical to the reception, rinse and dry the bibb lettuce. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate. Peel avocados, halve, discard pits and slice each half into five wedges. Cut lemons in halves, across. However you should choose to serve, make sure the ingredients are arranged beautifully on the plate: one or two slices of grapefruit, three wedges of avocado, a tablespoon of shrimp, greens, and a half lemon for guests to spritz over for dressing. Set the tables; arrange flowers; put together the buffet table. Keep the sparkling wine and chardonnay cool. The total bill? About $1,500.

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