The best wedding gifts in the UK: 13 ideas that couples will actually want

We asked newlyweds, long-married couples, and the odd divorcee about the wedding gifts they truly cherished. Their answers? A lot more interesting than a toaster

• In the US? Find our top picks for American couples here

“If you don’t say what you want, your parents’ friends will buy you things like papier-mache crisp bowls,” warned my friend – and celebrant – when my partner and I got engaged.

We’re getting married in October. We’re not actually doing presents – we’re having a destination wedding and I need some way of assuaging that guilt – but she made a good point. What do you buy if there isn’t a list, and you don’t know the person very well, or if there is a list, but the only thing left is a bin?