Like every wedding discipline your professional wedding photographer is most likely to be able to provide the best possible results for a bride's big day. But sometimes the realities of life make it necessary to find ways to trim the budget. This can mean anything from cutting back on the wedding pictures we end up with a little bit to doing away with pictures entirely.

How much a couple cuts back is up to the couple and their budget. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.

Here are six ways to save money on wedding photography along with the known pitfalls:

1. Limit the hours the photographer is needed: I mentioned this yesterday. Since labor is one of the biggest costs of the photographer, by saving him / her time a bride can save a good amount of money. Avoid the temptation to have them follow the bride or groom as they prepare and simply have them meet the wedding party at the church in time to get the pictures the couple really wants. Compensate by having the attendants bring (and use digital cameras) as the last minute preparations take place and during the bulk (or even all) of the reception.
2. Check Craigslist to find affordable photographers – of course, look at their portfolio, references, and see if their personality clicks with yours to decide if they are a good choice for your wedding.
3. Post an ad at a local college or university. There are lots of young people who would love an opportunity to practice their craft at a wedding. The problem here is that a couple is likely to run into some very talented young people with no track record as well as some, well, not so talented people who really need to be doing something else.
4. Make your own wedding album. This can save hundreds of dollars. Make sure to research how best to preserve the photographs.
5. Go digital. Instead of a proof sheet (or book) you can get the 'photos' on CD. Then make use of an online photo editor/developer. The risk here is less control over the quality of the print – but then you can always get it printed again down the road when the budget is not so tight.
6. Go digital… and forget the professional all together, if a couple feels brave. Instead ask your guests to bring their digital camera and go ‘snap happy’. After returning from the honeymoon they can email all the pictures to an email address the couple specifies (I’d open a separate email address for this) and then they can use that online photo developer (like Shutterfly) to print their wedding pictures. The advantage is that angles and moments will be captured that one photographer would never catch. The disadvantage is that the quality will be diminished - especially in low lighting settings.

Ultimately the choice is up to each couple. Fifteen years down the road some people really cherish their wedding photos. Others never look at them. Will they in another fifteen years? I think that is up to the individuals which is why only the couple can decide how much to spend or not spend on their wedding photography.