Ananova:

The economic climate may be eroding the rock on her finger, but the British bride is weathering the storm to make her big day special.

A study has shown that men are spending £400 less on engagement rings than a year ago, with the average purchase falling to £1,436.

But while prospective grooms were tightening the purse strings, brides-to-be showed few signs of cutting corners.

The overall cost of the average wedding remained steady at £20,000, the annual survey by Wedding magazine found.

But in a hint at growing financial pressures, half of those surveyed revealed that they did not plan to have a gift list.

A quarter of those polled asked for money and 18% said that they would prefer vouchers, according to the magazine.

Some 9% of couples said they planned to take out a loan and 26% would do extra work or overtime in the build up to their wedding.

But the research revealed that brides-to-be were still prepared to go to great lengths to look their best.

Half of those questioned planned to have a fake tan spray and 74% said they would be going on a diet.

Cosmetic surgery was considered by 4% of respondents - up 2% from two years ago - and a quarter of women planned to get their teeth whitened for the big day.

The honeymoon was shown to be a costly affair with 40% planning to spend more than £3,000.

Europe remained the top destination for newlyweds (15%), followed by the Caribbean (12%) and the Maldives (10%).

Wedding magazine editor Catherine Westwood said: "Despite the credit crunch, these figures reveal many brides-to-be can't imagine spending less on their dream day.

"However it seems their fiances don't feel the same way, so today's girls are having to settle for a smaller engagement ring."