The 20-month honeymoon

Like many couples, Justyn Gidley and fiancèe Carrie Hawes feared life could be a little unadventurous once they settled down to have children. So when it came to wedding gifts, they asked for a little more than just tea towels, toasters and Ikea vouchers.

Instead, they drew up a list of every place they had ever dreamed of visiting, and asked friends and relatives to pay for a honeymoon present in each one. Now, 20 months later, the couple have just got back home after travelling to 33 countries and spending an estimated £28,000.

Anybody invited round to see the photos is in for a long session. Among the adventures that their wedding guests forked out for were paragliding in the Himalayas, skydiving in New Zealand, riding Harley Davidsons across the Australian desert and looking at the carved stone faces of Easter Island. There was romance for her, thanks to a trip to the Taj Mahal, and yes, football for him, courtesy of a visit to Rio's 90,000-seat Maraca"a stadium.

Carrie, a former market research boss from Ealing, said: "It's something people dream about and never get the chance to do, but all our friends made it possible. Now they have to put up with us boring them with the snaps." Publisher Justyn added: "We were living out everybody's fantasy. It was a great adventure going to places we will probably never see when babies come along."

The couple, both 33, were unable to agree on any single honeymoon destination. The gifts they received for their wedding cost around £3,000, and they estimate they spent around £25,000 of their own savings on travel and living costs. "We'd lived together for 10 years and had all the usual domestic appliances twice over," said Justyn. "So we said: 'If we could go anywhere else in the world, where would it be?' and drew up a wedding list. Everyone thought it was fantastic."

The couple sent photos of themselves enjoying each activity to the friend or relative who had paid for it. The only concern among their friends now is that married life may indeed seem a little humdrum from here on....