This summer, Wedding Paper Divas teamed up with Beau-Coup to host a contest in which engaged couples submitted their best recession-friendly wedding planning ideas. We wanted to find real money-saving wedding tips from real couples, and we were overwhelmed by all of the great ideas you submitted. You can see them all at www.resourcefulbrides.com.

Elaine and Tyler won with the following tip:

“When looking for music for the ceremony I was shocked at the costs! I wanted ‘live music.’ Some nice string music. I researched and it was going to cost me at least $500 for a 3 piece string quartet to play for an hour. Crazy! So I contacted my local university and spoke to the program director for the music department. I asked him to pass the word to seniors only that I needed a cellist, violinist and either a harp player or a flute player. I offered them $50 each. A savings of $350. Use your local college students! They are hungry for money and willing to work hard.”

Congratulations, Elaine and Tyler! Thanks for the great tip. We wish you the best of luck with your wedding planning!

Everyone is trying to cut down on costs these days, especially when it comes to wedding planning.  Luckily, Wedding Paper Divas, along with our partner Beau-coup, has teamed up to form Resourceful Brides, a site dedicated to helping Brides find creative ways to save a buck when planning their wedding!  Plus, you can enter to win a total of $1000 worth of gift certificates from both companies.  Contest ends July 24th, so make sure to enter soon!

One tip that we’ve seen is to rent your wedding accessories instead of buying them.  I personally love this idea; Although having a special necklace or bracelet on your wedding day can serve as an excellent keepsake, you might not want to shell out for every piece of jewelry that you’ll be wearing.  From dresses to handbags, jewelry to hairpieces, rentals are available across the country.  Check out some of our favorites:

• Avelle (formerly known as Bag, Borrow or Steal) has a special section of their website dedicated specifically to wedding rentals.  From handbags to extravagant jewelry, they have everything you’ll need to make you feel like a princess on your big day.

• Adorn Brides offers rental jewelry in all shapes and sizes.  They even have matching sets for both brides and bridesmaids!

• Many brides opt to Rent their Bridal Gown.  Often, this will include shoes and a headpiece/veil.  Most of these stores are local, so I suggest doing a search in your local area for a bridal gown rental store.  One example is Fairy Godmother Gown Rentals, located in the San Francisco Bay Area.  They’ll even deliver your dress directly to your door!