Modern men twice as likely as women to want fairytale weddings

In a reversal of the traditional image, it is now the groom-to-be who wants to break the bank for a grand event with all the trimmings, and his fiance who wants a cheaper 'do' without all the over-the-top fuss, said research by Barclays.

Only nine per cent of women would spend their savings on a fairytale nuptial, but this rises to almost twice as many (16 per cent) for men, the Daily Mail reported.

It suggests women have become much more practical in how they budget for the future, and would choose to have money for the mortgage rather than blowing it all on a champagne party and salmon.

It is now the bride, not the groom, who is more happy to scale down a weddings in order to have money to put down as deposit on a property.

The average wedding in the UK now costs around 20,000 pounds but many have realised there are savings which can be made, from the limos to the church to the kind of food served and the choice of honeymoon.

In a survey of over 2,100 adults, nine per cent said they are planning to downsize the scale of their nuptials, or even delay them because of the cost.

And 13 per cent are considering asking guests to make a financial contribution instead of giving them a present, in order to make the big day more affordable, a practice known as 'pre-gifting'.

More than half of all Britons (52 per cent) think savings are better spent on buying property than anything else.

"With the average home deposit costing in the region of 16,000 pounds, it's not surprising that couples are having to think twice about the dilemma of tying the knot and buying a property," Barclays' head of mortages, Laoiseach Lynch, said.

"But with a little lateral thinking and some sensible saving and budgeting they are finding increasingly savvy ways to have their wedding cake and eat it," Lynch said.

The 'marriage vs mortage' argument leads to arguments among five per cent of couples, the report said.

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