The world of honeymoons and weddings has clearly evolved. What used to be the singular province of such establishments as Saks Fifth Avenue is now being utilized by a tour operator selling trips to Africa. Lion World Tours has initiated an online registry whereby clients' friends and family can contribute monetary gifts toward their dream trip.

The operator works with the agent and the client to plan the itinerary, and then makes all the necessary arrangements and reservations. After the couple's customized Web page is published, family and friends can visit the page and view the itinerary, then get in touch with Lion World to make their gift to the couple. Friends and family can contribute to a couple's Africa trip by using Lion World's Web-based tool.

The initiative was started a few months ago, after intensive discussions that involved some old-fashioned brainstorming, says Lion World President Lucille Sive. "We sat in the office and discussed it, and it just kind of snowballed," she says. "So far, people have thought it was a really interesting idea." For The Couple That Has It All

So who would be an ideal candidate for such a trip? Sive says the answer might be surprising. The expense involved in travel to Africa would seem to suggest that it's the domain of the upscale crowd. But Sive says there's also a place at that particular table for those who aren't shelling out the big bucks: "You can actually do a trip to Kenya that costs under $2,000, including airfare," she says. Resources

And don't think that these kinds of trips are limited to just the bride and groom, either: Sive says she's seen cases in which a wedding, along with the post-wedding trip, took place in Africa with large groups in tow. While the cost of such a thing would vary a lot depending on the party's choices, suffice it to say that it would be quite a few soup tureens.