With the average wedding costing more than £25,000 as we desperately try and keep up with the celebs, it seems there's nothing we'll stop at to make sure our big day is perfect. Here, Emma Cullwick speaks to one woman who literally lost pounds to make her wedding extra special and looks at some handy tips to prevent you getting in the red just to say: "I do'

SIXTY-one pounds a minute. No, that's not the amount David Beckham earns, but the cost of the average wedding in the UK, according to research by internet bank Cahoot.

That's just over a pound a second and adds up to a total of more than £25,500.

If you ever open the pages of gossip magazines like OK! and Hello! you're bound to be met with scores of glitzy pictures of a celebrity couple getting hitched in the most ludicrously expensive fashions.

And with Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles last week announcing their engagement, which will no doubt culminate in a lavish ceremony, the pressure's on to put on a wedding to remember.

So what lengths are we prepared to go to in a bid to outdo everyone else's Big Day?

And is it really necessary to spend the equivalent of a sizeable deposit on a house just on one day?

For Lyn Green (nee Oatey), it wasn't hard cash she wanted to shell out for her wedding day, but physical pounds - 32-and-a-half to be exact.

"Over about three years I had gradually put on weight and was a size 16," she said.

"When I tried on a wedding dress in October 2003 I decided I wanted to lose weight and be a size 14 or 12 for my wedding in September 2004."

Lyn, aged 30, of Halfkey Road, in Malvern, discovered that a number of her friends had lost weight by following the WeightWatchers programme.

"My friend's wife looked amazing on her wedding day in October 2003 and she told me she had lost around three stone," said Lyn, a youth participation worker.

Lyn started attending weekly WeightWatchers meetings at Nunnery Wood School in Worcester, run by leader Suzette Brunsdon, who herself has tackled a weight problem.

In just five months Lyn lost two stone and four-and-a-half pounds.

"The day after I reached my goal weight I was re-measured for my wedding dress, which had to be taken in from a size 16 to a size 12!" exclaimed Lyn.

"I got married to my husband Andy on September 11 last year and looked and felt fantastic.

"I also bought a whole new wardrobe again for my honeymoon in Italy."

But it was also pounds of the sterling kind that Lyn and Andy wanted to save on their big day and they discovered there were numerous ways of cutting the costs without spoiling the wedding of their dreams.

"We wanted it to be a special day but we didn't want to spend the rest of our lives paying it off," said Lyn.

The couple, who wed at Worcester Baptist Church and had a reception at Salwarpe Village Hall, near Droitwich, tied the knot for just £5,500.

Lyn's dress cost £750 after shopping around and costs were cut by hiring outside caterers to provide a buffet instead of a three-course meal.

The couple decorated the hall themselves and Andy's mum made the cake.

"It was the most perfect day and I think by doing things ourselves made it even more special," said Lyn.

And how you can wed for less, too -

Shop around: Don't be lured into all the expensive add-ons. Will your guests really notice if their place names have been hand-written, rather than engraved in silver?

Spend money on the things that count: You'll probably find that most of your guests would rather have a free-flowing supply of a good house wine than one measly glass of the finest Champagne.

A wedding dress can be cheap: Buy a stunning, brand new gown by a top designer for a fraction of the cost by shopping around at sales and shops that specialise in designer samples.

Avoid the wedding season: No one says you have to be a summer bride. If you choose to get married between October and February you'll find that prices are considerably cheaper.

Be clever with the gift list: Want a dream honeymoon, but can't afford the few thousand it costs? Instead of asking guests for traditional gifts ask for holiday vouchers.

The drinks: Agree with your venue that you will supply the beverages. Go on a booze cruise to France and save a fortune.

The music: Don't bother with an expensive DJ, just bring your own CDs and get the music you really want.

The photography: Shop around or get a friend who is handy with a camera to take the 'official' pictures and put instant cameras on each table to get friends and family to take more in-the-moment shots.

The flowers: Why go for an expensive arrangement on every table? One single flower in a simple vase can look just as elegant.

The venue: If that posh hotel is out of your budget why not hold a garden party? And more and more couples are deciding that holding a wedding abroad is the best bet to do it more cheaply.