Party ideas for stag and hen dos should be "low-key and tasteful", it has been claimed.

In a special feature on wedding ideas, the Daily Telegraph has highlighted the do's and don'ts of wedding preparations.

The newspaper advised those organising the pre-wedding celebrations to avoid cheap printed group t-shirts bearing cheesy slogans or cheap trips to European cities.

"Dinner in a stylish restaurant is a far classier way to celebrate, especially if you're getting married at the end of the summer, by which time your friends will fast be running out of holiday time, money and the will to live," it stated.

However, the newspaper added that opinion is divided regarding getting married abroad or in the UK.

It commented that some believe this is a "wonderfully romantic" way of getting married and will produce beautiful wedding albums, but some regard it as simply a way of cutting down the cost of the big day.

Alliance & Leicester has found that the average wedding costs £19,400.