If you’re anything like me, you can pinpoint the moment when the initial phase of engagement giddiness gave way to another feeling associated with many things wedding-related – sticker shock.

For this bride, the moment came while researching engagement photography packages, only to be blown away by the high cost of securing a few precious “we’re in love” snaps. Since Stephen and I are paying for our own wedding and are trying to be as budget-savvy as we can, we decided that professional engagement photos were one tradition to ax.

Instead of splurging on professional portraits, we headed to the beautiful Gardens of the World botanical site in Thousand Oaks, California, where Kellie – my sister, maid of honor, and an amateur-but-very-talented photographer – took a range of fun and unique shots.

After three years together, Stephen and I also have a treasure trove of additional snapshots to pull from. No, they’re not professionally done, but some are nonetheless special, and capture us in ways that truly reflect who we are as a couple. Snaps of the two of us exploring our favorite wineries, cruising to Panama and Costa Rica, and screaming on a roller coaster at a fun theme park capture infinitely more character and personality than staged photos ever could, at least in our case.

Most excitingly, we’ve decided to put some of the money we saved into working with a truly top-notch wedding photographer on our big day. Because if ever there is a time to go all-out, that will surely be it.