YOU'RE getting hitched, the wedding's organised - now all you've got to do is ensure your friends and family shower you with lavish gifts.

Sounds materialistic but, according to a new survey, couples reportedly ask for an average of £1,500 of pressies, while a few go the whole hog and request up to £10,000 worth.

Designer china and electronic gadgets are by far the most popular choices, but ever-more ambitious gifts such as plasma TVs, designer furniture and handmade lead crystal glasses are also creeping on to the list.

The main argument for this is that most couples have set up home and already have the basics when they take the plunge.

The problem for guests is that, unlike toasters and towels, wannahave items can be pricey and you might have to dig deep, especially if you've left your shopping until the cheaper items have already been creamed off the list.

Still, it is wedding etiquette to buy something the happy couple will treasure and most guests don't have a problem with shelling out for a gift to remember, even if, as in the Debenhams Wedding Insurance new poll, the bride and bridegroom-to-be ask for an indoor swing or a circular saw.

Debenhams spokeswoman Lisa Martin said there had been a definite trend over the last few years away from homemaking basics towards more sophisticated gifts.

"Couples are getting married later in life, and they will already have accumulated the basics of a home," she said.

"They are seeing wedding lists as an opportunity to acquire desirable premium items."

Joanne Churchill, who runs Harmony Wedding Co-ordinators in St Peter's, Worcester, said she had recently started looking into more unusual gift companies for her clients.

"There are some other good ideas out there for those who have already set up home," she said.

"The Bottom Drawer (www.thebottomdrawer.co.uk) offers couples the chance to have their garden completely designed, with guests buying bits and pieces to complete the whole makeover, which can cost between £1,000 and £2,000.

"I'm also looking into The Alternative Wedding List, which offers couples the chance to ask guests to contribute upwards of £25 to their chosen good cause.

Plagued by selfish, thoughts of tearing open shedloads of pressies, I perused www.

thealternativeweddinglist.

co.uk myself and found the idea of giving rather than receiving actually quite appealing.

This is due to the fact that after each charity name and amount you wish to donate, there is a thought-provoking breakdown, with pictures, of what this will buy.

For £24, you can keep a child in Mongolia in infant school for a year by covering the parental cost of the midday meal or, at the opposite end of the spectrum, cover the weekly cost of running five community youth clubs for youngsters living in Britain's deprived areas (£250).

Back to more hedonistic values, however, couples really should take heed of a host of wedding experts and visit www.wrapit.co.uk

As promised, it is a comprehensive, easy to use site with 100 different departments, 30,000 products and 250 brands.

Once the honeymoon is over, you might not be quite ready to settle down with your pipe and slippers, which is where your guests come in handy.

At www.buyagift.co.uk, you can choose wine tasting for two in London (£30), a Sunday lunch jazz cruise on the Thames for £85 or a romantic steam train journey for £99.

If you're both thrillseekers, perhaps a day hydrozorbing in Dorset (cross between a rollercoaster and riding a waterfall) will keep the magic alive (£59).

A nice touch for guests who have been trusted to PYO, meanwhile, is an original painting of the couple's wedding venue, whether it be Witley Court or The Crown and Anchor.

Visit wedding-originals.co.uk for information on artist Alan Lack's work, which costs from £85 and takes up to three weeks to complete.