The spring wedding season will soon be upon us. But getting hitched doesn't have to cost a fortune, as Jane Hall reveals.
 It might not just be your intended you find yourself getting down on bended knee for. With the average cost of a wedding soaring to an eye-watering £17,000, you may also find yourself having to make a proposal or two to your bank manager. The cost of getting hitched has more than doubled over the past decade. And with the tradition of the bride's parents footing most of the bill now nearly dead, many couples are having to pay for a large part themselves. According to the new figures from Confetti.co.uk, the most costly item is the venue and catering, with the average couple splashing out £4,800 on it. Next comes the honeymoon at £3,600 followed by the bride and groom's rings at £1,400. The bride is also facing an average £970 for a dress. With the nation saving less than ever, and the combination of wedding bills, student loans, mortgage borrowing and credit card debts, it's a wonder anyone can afford to say "I do". Yet 300,000 couples are expected to tie the knot this year - with many paying for the day for years to come. The problem isn't just that many fail to save for their big day. Tastes have become more exotic, too. Since the law changed in 1995 to allow weddings to take place at more unusual venues, many couples think nothing of hiring a luxury hotel or stately home for the ceremony and reception. More and more also want to add a touch of celebrity magic to the proceedings - although most would probably stop short of aping glamour model Jordan's fairytale affair last September which featured a ring made from 20 princess cut diamonds, hair extensions and hand-made ivory shoes - and that was just the groom, Peter Andre. Jordan, dressed in a Barbie-pink gown with a corset made from thousands of Swarovski crystals and a train more than seven yards long, rode to the ceremony in a Cinderella-style carriage. While the couple have kept mum on just how much it cost, it was probably fortuitous that they signed a £400,000 deal with OK!, which got its money's worth by filling 51 pages with the pink extravaganza. Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones also signed a deal with OK! and the same magazine bought the rights to the Beckhams' wedding in 1999 for a reported £1m. Unfortunately, few of us are likely to find OK! - or our local newspaper for that matter - knocking on our doors seeking exclusive coverage rights to our wedding. But while it is perfectly possible to spend £17,000 - or £177,000 - it is worth remembering you don't have to splurge that much to have the perfect day. Sol Knights and Mark Stevens spent just £5,000 when they married in Whitby in North Yorkshire in April 2004. The couple had neither the money nor the inclination to indulge in a lavish affair. Sol, from Durham, and now mother to 18-month-old Dylan, says: "We got married in a registry office which was very cheap - I think it only cost £50 - and then everyone walked to our reception at the rowing club in Whitby. "We had about 60 guests and we hired a catering firm to do an organic lunch. It was a very nice, intimate affair. We then went up to the abbey where a friend did the pictures. "In the evening we invited a small number of family and friends to a hotel about 20 miles from Whitby for a meal, which they paid for. "We thought that was fair as everything had been paid for during the day. "We had a great time, but it didn't cost the earth. I don't think it would ever have crossed our minds to have spent more than £5,000." It took Sol, 27, who is studying for an MA in Urban Design at Leeds Metropolitan University, and Mark, 38, a projects manager for a housing group, two months to organise the event. She shunned having bridesmaids and instead gave flowers to younger guests. Already pregnant with Dylan, she also opted to wear a skirt and top from a high street fashion shop rather than a traditional white wedding dress. As everyone walked to and from venues there was no need to hire a car, and her mother-in-law made the cake. Sol even designed her own wedding stationery on the computer to keep costs down. The Stevens's biggest expense was a two-week honeymoon in Portugal and the rings. "The rings were just normal ones," Sol says. "They were neither top of the range nor cheap ones. "It would have felt ridiculous to us to have spent too much. "Obviously, it's up to each couple how much they spend on their wedding, but I think it's mad when you're getting to figures like £17,000. "We knew we were going to have a child and we felt we had other things we would rather spend our money on. "I think our wedding proved you don't have to spend, spend, spend to have a memorable day." Page 2: Cutting the cost of your big day | 
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