When it comes to having a wedding, one of the hardest tasks is planning what you’ve always wanted or dreamed about with what is actually possible logistically and financially. While you may have envisioned yourself coming to your ceremony on a white stallion surrounded by hundreds of butterflies or gifting your better half the choicest of emerald cut engagement rings, you might quickly discover that you don’t have quite enough money saved up for those expenses. So to help you get just what you want out of your wedding without having to take on crazy amounts of debt, here are three tips for saving money so you can be able to afford your dream wedding.

Be Realistic About Your Financial Expectations

Before you really start planning and preparing for your wedding, it’s important that you think realistically about what type of budget you should have and how much money you’ll be able to contribute. According to Abby Hayes, a contributor to Credit.com, you can’t expect to have an elaborate wedding if you can’t afford it right now and don’t have enough time to save up for something like that. With this in mind, try to figure out what a realistic budget is for your wedding and how you can maximize that money.

Make Your Savings Goals Manageable

Now that you’ve figured out how much money you’re going to want or need for your wedding festivities, it’s time to start planning how you’ll save that money up. To help with this, Hayes recommends that you split up your overall savings goal into smaller goals that are more manageable. Try to take your budget and divide that number by how many months you have until your big day. This will tell you how much you should be saving per month. Keep in mind, however, that you’ll likely be spending most of this money along the way, paying for things like engagement rings and deposits on vendors. So while you might never see the entire lump sum of cash that you’re saving, you’ll hopefully end up being able to spend all this money in cash to pay for what you’ll need.

Be Smart With Contributions

For some people, you might have family members or friend who’d like to help you pay for all that comes with having a wedding. And while you might be overwhelmed with the amount of cash coming your way, try not to be tempted to spend this money on anything other than wedding-related expenses. According to Winnie Sun, a contributor to Forbes.com, you should also consider how friends or family members with talents could help reduce your overall costs, either by offering some services for free or giving you discounts through their own businesses.

If you have a wedding coming up, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you save enough money for all your wants and needs.