How Much Money Do You Give for a Wedding Gift?

DeeDee,

It all depends on WHO it is and how well I know them. And if I'm traveling to the venue, etc.

How well do you know the couple getting married?
Do you have the funds to give them a "generous" gift?? Generous means different amounts to different people.
Basically - you do what you can afford.

I think the amount probably varies by area as well as the 'givers' financial status.

I typically MAKE something as a gift. For couples I do not know well, I 'quill' the wedding invitation and have it framed. For those I know better, I quill, and make an afghan in colors of their choice...or neutrals.

I want to give something that will last longer than the marriage!

Just my thought.

There are so many variables. It seems to depend on where you live, your relationship to the couple, the type of and venue of the wedding and what you can afford to give.

It depends on who's getting married and what their relationship to me is.
For family - $50.
For neighbor or co-worker $20
For an acquaintance - a nice card.

I don't go all out for gift grabs.
Their rite of passage celebration should never be a reason for me to go into debt or bankrupt myself.

In no way does the gift have to cover the dinner.
They invited you to a party to celebrate their marriage.
Technically - just your BEING there is gift enough.
You don't pay a cover charge for that.
And if they NEED money to cover the cost of the wedding (and were expecting to make it back in gifts) - then what they desperately REALLY need is to take a financial planning class together.
Not only should I not go broke for their wedding - but neither should THEY be spending so much money that they are starting their married life out with huge amounts of debt.

We usually spend $50-75 on a wedding gift. It depends on how we are doing financially at the time. I don't believe in going broke to give a gift; I try to give something people will really use. The couple won't even remember who gave what a month later, unless you give something particularly unique or special.

ETA: When we got married, it never even crossed my mind that gifts should cover the cost of each person's meal. We invited people to our wedding and reception because we wanted them to be there on our special day. It wasn't a financial matter in any way. I can't imagine our friends or family ever thinking that way, either.

In the Phila area I would never give less than $150 to anyone if my husband and I were attending the reception. If my husband could not attend, I may consider giving $100.

Lunch for 2 at a chain restaurant like PF Changs cost $50. Attending a reception with appetizers, a meal, dessert, an open bar and dancing for 4-5 hours IMHO dictates a more generous gift than $50.

I consider the wedding gift seperate from a shower gift and that does not factor into what I give for the wedding.

We've done $75 to $100.

But it really depends as everyone says on your relationship to the bride and groom.

somewhere along the way I understood that in politeness the gift could at least cover the dinner. So if I am invited to a wedding I know will cost big bucks I at least give fifty to one hundred or more. If it's a picnic and then into the backyard for a fire and an all night beerathon, then twenty five is probably fine. If you are really rich give your millions away. Give whatever you can. It is a gift after all.

I don't have money to just give away. If I can't find anything on the registration or gift pages they set up then I just can't imagine what I'd do. If they don't want any gifts and only cash...well, I might not go.

If I absolutely couldn't give them a gift that I could enjoy giving to them and cash was the only way out then I would probably think about who they are to me. If they're good friends and close to me then I'd give more. If they were co-workers that I was not close to I might just do $25.

Again, I don't have money to just give away.

usually $100 or more. Family we usually get one of their big ticket items off their registry.

For me $50 to $150, depending on how close I am to the bride/groom.

we've given anywhere from 50 to 200.. that is depending upon how well we know the people.. on average though, we give about 100...

there's no standard amount. a cash gift is not required, and some of us old schoolers find the cash grab expectations pretty offensive.
i rarely give cash for weddings or showers, and if the bride and groom are wanting enough cash to cover my event meal, they probably just shouldn't invite me. or have grilled cheese sandwiches or something.
for someone close i'll spend a couple of hundred on a wedding gift. recently for a friend of one of my kids i spent somewhere in the $50 or $60 range. but it was on gifts, not cash.
and what's 'expected' also varies widely from region to region. i mean, if you're hanging with the trumps you're probably expected to spend thousands. for a trailer park wedding you can get by with a 6 pack of decent beer.
there's really not a 'standard' answer here.
khairete
S.

We just went to my cousins wedding and gave them $100. If it's a casual friend then $50.

$100 to $250 depending who and if I have to travel.

It depends but mostly $200 (Boston area).