Brides who say “Yes,” to their fiancés are saying “No” to excess, according to recent studies that show the wedding industry is taking a hit in the down economy.

A whopping 75% of weddings are being scaled back nationwide due to brides and their families trying to save money, according to a “What’s on Bride’s Minds” survey by David’s Bridal.

Over half of all brides do not plan to spend more than $25,000 on their nuptials, and 77% of those saving money said that paying off debts took precedence over throwing a lavish wedding.

“The wedding industry isn’t going anywhere, but I do think that it will have to change in order to keep up with the Savvy Bride,” said Michelle Cannon, a bride in Charleston, S.C., planning a wedding for December of this year. Cannon hopes to slash her wedding budget by about $10,000, and said that because her parents will be fronting almost all of the wedding expenses, she’s become even more cost-conscious.

“Knowing our parents are slowly reaching retirement, knowing what their stocks currently look like, and knowing that as newlyweds we want to prepare for our own future, puts a whole different perspective on wedding costs,” Cannon said, pointing out that her father works with Delta and his job has not been guaranteed since 9/11.

But it’s not just a shift in her own budget that Cannon has observed -- she said she’s seen a huge difference in spending and pricing from vendors since she started wedding planning in August of 2008.

“The trend was to find a wedding planner and spend big.  Now, following the economic times, bridal magazines and blogs are pushing DIY projects and weddings on a budget,” Cannon said.

Carrie Denny, editor of "Philadelphia Wedding," said that more women are making creative, cost-saving adjustments to their budgets.

“Looking into a Friday wedding instead of a Saturday wedding can mean the difference between $130 a head and $160 a head,” Denny said. “If you have 200 people, that can make a $7,000 difference.” Many brides are also limiting their guest lists to just family and close friends, and opting for venues like art galleries instead of expensive ballrooms. According to the David’s Bridal survey, 45% of brides are willing to cut down their guest list to save money.

Another big adjustment brides are making is on a wedding ring.

“Using your grandmother’s heirloom wedding ring can be more meaningful and a whole lot cheaper than buying something new,” Denny said.

What can be a large expense is the wedding dress, yet 37% are willing to spend less on their gowns, according to the survey. 55% of brides say they plan to spend less than $600 for their formal wear.

This comes as no surprise to Josie Daga, founder of PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com, a national site where brides can sell their old dresses and purchased used ones.

Though Daga only attracted 40 listings in her first month of business in 2004, the site has already listed 2,144 dresses this year. Since 2008, listings have doubled -- a fact Daga attributes in part to a down economy. Most dresses on the site range in price from $500 to $1,000, but 5% of them cost less than $250. Used dresses are usually half off, and unworn dresses are at least 30% off.

“I’ve seen dresses that are $5,000 listed for $800,” she said. “It’s the kind of thing you can cut back on without your guests knowing, because 99% of the time, the dress looks brand new.”

As for what brides are doing with the money they save on a dress or get back from a sale, Daga said lately they are paying for necessities like bills, or putting money towards a house.

“I thought they were going to say they were buying an eternity band, but they seem to be more conservative,” she said.

One conservative Bride, Sandra Chavez, is getting married in September of this year in Pleasanton, Calif. She and her fiancé Ryan are paying for the entire cost of the wedding.

“I would be embarrassed to spend thousands and thousands of dollars when people are losing their jobs, homes, cars etc.  We understand that this is just one night, and frankly saving money for a home that we will be in for years and years is more important to us,” Chavez said.

Ways in which she’s cut back include assembling her own wedding invitations, making her own centerpieces and flower arrangements, and sewing her own wedding veil. The veil alone will save her as much as $950, she said.

However, there are things that even frugal brides have not cut back on. Chavez said she and her fiancé are spending the full price of $2,400 on a good photographer and $10,000 on food and drinks.

“We agreed these were the two things that were important to spend money on,” Chavez said.