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27th Aug 2008

If you're not sure about having a gift list or if you're struggling to put your gift list together, help is at hand! Friends and family will want to buy you wedding gifts, even if you don't particularly want them to. To avoid receiving duplicate gifts - or gifts which you know you will never use - you should set up a gift list.

Our Top Tips are designed to help you set up a list which you're happy with.

Decide roughly what type of list you want. For example, do you want gifts, charity gifts, gift vouchers, money? You can then decide which gift list provider offers the mix of gifts which you want.

If you can't think of any gifts which you really need why not consider upgrading or replacing some items which you already own, adding charity gifts or asking for money towards your honeymoon.

Aim to have more gifts on your list rather than less as guests usually prefer to have a choice of gifts to buy from. You may also find that people who are not invited to the wedding want to buy you a gift too, so your list should have enough gifts to allow for this.

Try to pick gifts of different values so that there is a good variety for guests. There are no set rules, but you'll find that the typical purchase is between £30 and £75 with some guests spending more, particularly if they club together.

You may also find that guests who are closer to you will spend more on a gift. Don't worry about including expensive gifts on your list as these are great gift choices for families or groups of friends or colleagues who often prefer to club together to buy a bigger gift rather than a number of smaller gifts.

And using Nearly Married's unique SuperShare feature is a great way for guests to share the cost of more expensive gifts.

Do include some cheaper gifts too - these are also popular with guests who want to add something extra to their main gift if they have a specific amount of money which they would like to spend.

You can view your list, add to it, delete items, or change quantities - whenever you want - so don't panic about getting your list right first time.

Don't feel obliged to make every item on your list something practical - this is a good chance to add something extravagant or pick a once in a lifetime experience.

Once you've had fun adding items to your gift list we recommend that you print your list and compare it with our Gift List Checklist to make sure you don't forget anything important!

Check your gift list from time to time as you might have to add more items so that guests still have a good choice to pick from.