Congratulations, you're getting married!! Now, after all the excitement of becoming recently engaged settles down, the reality of the planning process starts.

Now, I heard there are couples that don't have to worry about money but for all the rest of us there is a little thing called a budget that may create some challenges when planning your special day. This is generally what creates making decisions pretty hard and a lot of times very stressful. As your planning continues, unless you have the luxury of hiring a good, professional wedding planner, you will soon be left to facebook groups, caring friends and family with good intentions, and internet forums that for the most part are filled with brides asking the same questions as you. Most questions stem from the same common denominator, how do I save money? Here are a few questions to ask yourself when making decisions you'll need to make when planning you wedding day. Asking these questions will not only lead to saving money but will also make you confident before and after the wedding that you made the best decisions.

A. How important is it really to you?

Sometimes there may be something, that thing you've been dreaming or thinking about for years. That one thing that is priceless to you and cannot be left out at any expense. However, for most everything there is a level of priority. When you are starting your budget, rate the importance or priority level of each item. This way you will have a better idea of what is really important to you and will know what areas are more flexible when starting to crunch dollars.

B. Should you spend money on things you'll never see again?

Don't get too caught up in the day of only stuff. What is the day of only stuff you ask? They are the things that will only be used the day of your wedding. These types of things will eat up your budget if you get off track and get caught up in things that may not be of value but will definitely cost you a price. A lot of the time, brides and grooms spend hundreds and sometimes thousands on decor items or other things they might not even see the day of their wedding. You are the only one who knows what is really important to you, but if you haven’t been thinking about it since you were a little girl be sure you’re thinking about the value and if it's really necessary.

C. My Uncle has a good camera and said he'll photograph our wedding as gift. Should I hire friends or family?

As we start to crunch numbers, the thought of a free photographer, DJ, or other service for free sounds perfect, right? In the past 20 years, I've seen more ruined receptions, un-captured memories, and broken relationships because of this situation. Now, some of us have friends or family members who are actual wedding professionals and the blessing of a free service is wonderful. However, the friend or family member who may have done it once, loves music and aspires to be a dj, or the most common has a decent camera and has a few good shots posted on Facebook and ignorantly thinks shooting a wedding isn't that hard. When making this decision, pay close attention to the section A. If you photos aren't that important, the structure and success of the reception isn't that big of deal, or you really don't care what your cake looks like then it may just be the deal you've been looking for. If the photos, reception, or other areas of your wedding are important then make sure you hire a person who can guarantee everything is just the way you want it. The saying friends don't let friends hire friends for their wedding didn't just make itself up, there is a reason people started saying it.

Because you can choose the specific time you have a photographer: If your budget doesn't allow for all day coverage from your photographer, then just hire the professional for the ceremony, family, and artistic shots. This way the important stuff is done correctly, you save money, and your family member or friend still feels like they contributed.

D. Should I DYI or DYDon't?

Before reading this section please note: Many DYI projects turn out great. There are many wonderfully talented people who can do amazing things. This section does not imply that all DYI projects are very hard, impossible, time consuming or non cost effective.

During your planning and reaching out for answers or advice you will get a lot of people saying "this is what I did at my wedding" or "I've always loved this and you should do it at your wedding". You'll also find many DYI projects that, not always, but usually lead to more stress and don't end up looking the way you wanted them to. Making the item that looked so beautiful in the picture can end up taking 10 times longer and costing 5 times as much money as the article said very easily.

It looked good when I saw it on Pintrest?

The article said it would only take a couple minutes to do?

My friend said her friend did it and it turned out great.

So if it only take 5 minutes to make one, it shouldn't take that long to make 30 right?

My friends said they would help, but I can't get a hold of anyone and my wedding is in 2 weeks.

I've been in the wedding industry for almost 20 years and have been involved in over 2000 weddings, the only thing I can say is please DON'T! It isn't worth it. You have way too much to do already and making the pre-wedding experience as easy as possible will be a key to success. Planning a wedding is hard enough without making it more stressful with unchartered projects that usually will be harder than expected, take more time than you expected, and cost more money that you were hoping to save and sometimes may end up costing more money than if you would have had a professional do it for you.

Just remember, planning your wedding should be just as fun as the wedding. The most important part is that you and your new husband or wife are married. Everyone wants a perfect wedding, but the only thing that matters is that your wedding is perfect for you. Surround yourself with experienced and professional vendors that will help show and give you all your options so you make the best choice for you. Congratulation and the staff of Limelight Entertainment and Photogarpehy whish you the very best. God bless :)