Susan A. Shapiro is the creator of online marketplace, BravoBride.com. After conducting a study, Shapiro fond that brides are eager to find good deals and innovative ways to stay within their wedding budgets. Susan shares her insights with these 5 bridal trends we will be seeing more of in 2012. For the budget conscious bride, these are great money saving ideas to keep in mind!

1. Paperless Invitations
Several companies offer electronic wedding invitations now. They are formatted like a traditional invitation but also give you the opportunity to track your RSVP’s online, manage guest lists and include multiple wedding events. Not only are they a fraction of the cost of paper invitations and postage but they’re also a huge time saver and eco-friendly.

2. Preowned Wedding Items
Most wedding items are generally used once and for a short period of time. Because of this brides are buying everything from gently used wedding dresses to decorations and reselling them on online marketplaces like BravoBride. It’s a great way to help another bride-to-be and to recoup wedding costs.

3. Cash Registries
Starting a cash registry in lieu of gifts is a new concept that is becoming increasingly more popular. They are many websites that provide this service, which allows brides to use their ‘gifts’ on their wedding expenses, honeymoon or even a down payment on a house.**

**A while back I talked about starting a registry for something out of the ordinary like a custom piece of art by Jerome Hershey!

4. Faux Flowers
Brides are beginning to forgo the traditional bridal bouquets and opt for non-floral arrangements. Bouquets are being made entirely of brooches, paper, clay and even felt. These types of flowers will never wilt or die and you can use them as a wedding keepsake for years to come.

Photo Credit: www.hamptonroadsbride.com

5. Wedding Rentals
Grooms have been renting their tuxes for years but we are starting to see a new trend for brides and bridesmaids as well. Some new businesses are offering rental bridesmaids and wedding gowns and you can rent your bridal accessories too such as earrings, necklaces and headpieces.

“2012 brides have a lot more options then brides did even a few years ago” added Shapiro. “It’s exciting to see what even more innovation and smart wedding ideas this New Year will bring.”

Read the original article here. Happy Wedding Wednesday!