One aspect about planning a wedding that many brides can agree with is this: weddings are expensive! As a bride-to-be myself, I can fully support this statement. I never would have imagined how expensive it is to just feed the 200 lovely guests who will be joining me on my wedding day. But, in the end, it’ll be worth it.

Before you get ahead of yourself and fall down a never-ending hole of wedding bills, think of the areas of your wedding that you can cut back on. I spoke with bride-to-be, Megan Greve, who is planning her October 2013 wedding with fiance, Jake. Megan estimates with her careful and creative planning she saved more than $500 total on her engagement photography and DIY save the dates she constructed herself.

“There are some things in the wedding planning process we are willing to pay top-dollar for, and there are some we choose to save money on,” Megan said. “To us, engagement photos weren’t something we wanted to spend hundreds on. We simply needed one or two good pictures to use for a postcard save the date.”

So instead of hiring a professional photographer, Megan asked a friend to come along with them to the Milwaukee Public Market to take their photos. Since it was February, the couple knew they wanted to take indoor photos.

“We also enjoy going to the Thief Wine, so we thought heading there for some pictures would be great,” Megan said. “Plus we were able to enjoy some wine in-between smiles!”

In the end, the engagement session was a success and the couple was able to save money that they can use somewhere else in their wedding budget, to help keep on track. Megan believes one of the most important parts about planning your wedding is to remember to do what you want.

“Though opinions can be helpful, they can also hinder your vision and stress you out,” Megan said. “Milwaukee isn’t the largest city, so you will run into people that have been to your venue, or ate food from your caterer before, and they will have input to give. But, just remember at the end of the day, if you walk away married and happy, the day was a success.”