Shopping is really pleasurable, right?

One of the reasons we are all in so much debt is because we love the natural surge of adrenaline when we swipe the plastic and take something new and shiny home with us.

So a wedding list should be the ultimate high. You're spending hundreds if not thousands of pounds on new shiny things. Unfortunately, that's far from the case. The whole thing gets horribly stressful and emotional.

Fortunately, we have the five top tips you need to be sure you get the wedding list right.

1) You need somewhere your guests can easily access. For anyone under the age of 60 this could mean an online wedding list like thebottomdrawer.co.uk. For those in large towns and cities, you can opt for an urban brand like John Lewis. For those more technologically challenged, don't neglect the high street favourites. You don't have to love everything they have, just make sure there's something for everyone or they may take their chances and go off list.

2) You need somewhere you'll be treated right. I placed my wedding list with a well-known high street shop. They didn't congratulate me, they didn't explain their system, they didn't answer questions, they didn't even offer me a cup of tea. In fact they started to pressurise me into taking out a charge card, and still I persevered. In the end they dumped my presents in the street with illegible gift cards, and didn't return my calls. You don't have to take this. At the first sign of poor service, put your foot down. You are going to be an exceptionally good customer for them, they can't take you for granted.

3) You need a broad spread of items. I recently went to a wedding where the cheapest item on the list cost £70. I liked the bride, but she wasn't my best friend, and I wasn't even invited to the ceremony. Needless to say I went off list. You need some cheap stuff on there. Equally you need some quality. If your best man wants to spend more than £20 on you, they shouldn't have to buy half the shop.

4) You don't have to restrict yourself to one list. A friend of mine sent out a couple of lists. The first was for a spectacularly flash shop, where I could just about stretch to a tea spoon. The second was for a cheap and cheerful outfit where I could pretty much afford an entire canteen of cutlery. If you strong-arm people into one or the other they are going to feel ripped off, so give them a choice.

5) You don't need to be completely traditional. We recently published this post on some of the more unusual gifts out there. Things have moved on since you had to buy a set of saucepans and a toaster, so keep your options open.