Just 4% of women in the would choose to spend money on a wedding rather than a house deposit.

A new poll by specialist lender Together has revealed nearly 70% of UK adults would use £17,674 – the average cost of a wedding – as a deposit for a new home instead of paying for their big day.

According to the study, women prioritised home ownership more than men, with nearly 10% more females opting to spend the money on a deposit. Just under 4% of women would use it to foot the bill for their wedding.

Richard Tugwell, director at Together said: “Home ownership clearly remains a huge priority for the British public, as our latest research demonstrates.

“With the costs of weddings and property rising in comparison to wages over the last few decades, sacrifices inevitably have to be made. The results of our survey show the majority of people are choosing to get on the property ladder rather than pay for their big day.”

Together, which provides residential mortgages and loans, surveyed more than 2,000 UK adults to find out their views.

Women seemed more eager to get on the property ladder, according to the results. The vast majority – 74% – said they’d put the £17,674 towards a deposit, a figure that dropped to 64% of men who took part in the survey.

Only a tiny percentage – 3.9% of women and 6.1% of men – would use the money to fund their big day.

Meanwhile, 14% of all those who took part in the survey said paying for a wedding and a deposit carried equal weight, while just over 11% said neither were a priority.