"A lady came into the shop last Saturday and bought her dream wedding dress for just £100 — she was thrilled."

Charity shop manager Alison Edgley, 48, has recently found herself coming to the rescue of a growing number of Oxfordshire brides — all looking for the dream wedding without being lumbered with a nightmare of debt.

She explained: "We’re seeing growing number of people come to the Sobell House Charity Shop in Botley in search of wedding dresses.

“I now sell at least one a week to people who are trying to save money in the current climate.

"The lady who came in this weekend walked out with a perfect dress, in a perfect fit, for just £100 — a fraction of the cost she would have paid new.

"We also sell all the accessories, and while the dresses have been worn, many were very expensive and immaculate."

With the cost of the average wedding now about £20,000 and the credit crunch biting at all our heels, brides like Francesca Bardsley are using all the ingenuity at their disposal to get spliced without getting 'diced' financially.

Miss Bardsley, 26, from East Oxford, planned her wedding around a strict budget — but with amazing results.

She said: "When I first got engaged I looked at the average cost of weddings and thought I would have to take out a loan to afford to get married because neither my fiancé or I are particularly well paid.

"A friend of mine spent tens of thousands getting married and although it was a lovely day, the thought of that level of debt made me shudder.

"But after looking around and thinking about it, we realised we could save a lot by using the talents of my friends and family.

"My sister is a fantastic cook so she offered to bake the cake.

"My aunt is a brilliant seamstress so she was able to do all the alterations, and I fell in love with a wedding dress which was in a sale.

"We spent a lot of time looking around and found a beautiful church hall really near our church with a lovely garden and that only cost £125 to hire.

"And I decided to do my own make-up and wear my hair straight so it only cost me about £30 to have it cut at my normal hairdressers.

"The one area we have splurged on is the honeymoon — we will be spending a fortnight in Sri Lanka — but my mother-in-law is paying for that."

Fran also saved pounds on her food, drinks and photography bill.

She added: "Without the generosity of my family and friends it would be an awful lot more expensive.

"But it’s surprising how much cheaper things are if you just don't mention that it's for a wedding.

"With the contributions from both our parents and everyone mucking in to help out, it’s really not costing us too much at all so we can enjoy every minute of our day without thinking about the cost."

The head of Oxfordshire County Council's Registration Service, Jacquie Bugeja, offered some tips on having a great wedding on a budget.

They include working out your budget and sticking to it, and choosing priorities — you may not care how you get from the ceremony to the reception but you might want to splurge on the honeymoon.

She also advises: Be ruthless with your guest list. If money is tight, make a list of your closest family and friends — the ones you really want to be there.

Pop into a stationer's and pick up decent card, gold and silver pens or a calligraphy pen and make invitations and placecards.

Simple flower arrangements can be just as effective as larger ones. You could also buy plants or flowers from a garden centre, put them in pretty pots on your table and invite guests to take them home.

If you cannot afford a professional photographer ask someone you know who is good with a camera. You can also buy disposable cameras and put them on the table, asking guests to take pictures.

Over at the Sobell House Charity Shop, Ms Edgley has also been able to help a bride from further afield.

She explained: "A lady came in recently and bought two of our cheaper wedding dresses — one £25 and the other £20.

"She told me she was taking them to a village in Africa where a young woman is getting married.

"She took a traditional style and a more modern one, so the bride can choose which one she likes — it's fabulous to know we’re helping not only struggling couples here, but also those in places like Africa."

The wedding department at Sobell House Charity Shop, The Square, Botley, can be viewed at any time, but appointments must be made to try on garments. Call 01865 251204.