For many brides, the wedding day is all about the dress (after marrying the love of your life, of course).

But what a bride-to-be wants and what she can afford are often two very different things.

With the average cost of weddings now standing at £27,000 in the UK – and more than £38,000 in London – it has become seemingly normal to blow your life savings when it comes to saying “I do” - a large proportion of which frequently goes on the gown.

However, a new generation of penny-pinching women are now prioritising other things such as housing, and choosing to spend less on their wedding dresses as a result.

“My dress was from Vivien of Holloway and it cost around £250,” Gemma, 31 from Kent told The Independent.

“At the time there were very little options from wedding boutiques if you wanted a teal length, 50s style dress and if they did have them, they were outrageous prices.

“I wouldn’t ever part with thousands of pounds for a dress that would be worn for a day. It’s such a bad investment.”

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According to new research by online fashion marketplace Lyst, the average cost of a wedding dress is now just £832, a 20 per cent drop from last year when the average spend surpassed £1112. That’s an impressive saving of nearly £300.

A trend encouraged by the rise of high-street bridal collections, the pressure on women to spend eye-watering amounts of money on something they will only wear once is finally dwindling.

From brands like Self Portrait and Whisltes, to Topshop, Asos and Dorothy Perkins the trend towards affordable bridal wear is on the up and so it should be.