Church's cut-price wedding hints

Brides can still look great - in a charity shop dress

A vicar from Surrey has written a book which offers money-saving tips to couples planning to get married.

The Church of England said Making the Most of Weddings was a response to recent figures suggesting the average cost of a wedding was now £17,000.

The Reverend Andrew Body, vicar of Chobham and Valley End, said it aimed to "blow the whistle on commercialism".

Suggestions include borrowing wedding dresses from charity shops or taking taxis to the venue.

MAKING THE MOST OF WEDDINGS Buy a second-hand ring Borrow a wedding dress from a friend Use a CD player instead of a DJ for your music

Another option put forward is inviting guests to "bring a bottle".

Mr Body said: "What worries me is that sometimes there are people who are getting pushed by the pressures of family - and maybe some commercial interests - into spending more than they've really got and sometimes it's totally unnecessary."

The Church of England said the pocket-sized book carried a message that "the real investment has to be made in the relationship itself".

Mr Body, who has conducted more than 500 weddings during 35 years as an Anglican priest, previously wrote a book called Growing Together, which offered a "marriage MoT" to couples preparing for their big day.