How Much to Give for a Wedding Gift

When you attend as many weddings as Emily Wong does, you need to come up with some guidelines for gift-giving. During the past two years, Wong, 32, who works in marketing for a foreign trade cooperation in Los Angeles, has been to about a half-dozen weddings. She expects to go to three more this year.

The amount Wong spends all depends on her relationship to the people getting married, how fancy the wedding is going to be and whether she brings a date.

At a recent wedding of a close friend where she went solo, Wong gave the couple $300 wedding gift money. But at another wedding of a speaking acquaintance, she didn’t skipped the reception and gave $75.

As the wedding season is approaching, guests from coast to coast are confronted with the same question: How much should I spend on wedding gift money? It’s thorny to know exactly how much money to give at a wedding nowadays, especially if you’re giving cash. Here’s the etiquette behind wedding gift amounts, and what you need to know about wedding gift money nowadays.

Is It Okay to Give Wedding Gift Money?

Giving money as a wedding gift is absolutely okay. Wedding gift money can replace buying something off of a registry, or even contributing to a honeymoon fund. In fact, since most couples have lived together before marriage these days, they often have had everything they need in their abode. Moreover, they’ll appreciate extra money towards savings. So wedding gift money is the most direct and effective form when you want to express your wish to the new couples.

How much to give for a wedding?

Wedding experts note that the closer you are to the bride or groom, the more you are expected to give, and do not give more than you can afford just because of the expectations.

Kristen Maxwell Cooper, deputy editor of the wedding-focused website TheKnot.com offers these guidelines to wedding-goers wherever they might be: A distant relative or co-worker should give $75-$100; a friend or relative, $100-$125; a closer relative, up to $150.

If you are wealthy, are you expected to give more? No, Cooper says. “If they do, it’s because they’re just generous people.”

And if you’re still struggling to figure out how much to give for a wedding gift, It’s statistically founded that the national average for wedding gift money is $160. All the being said, what you spend also depends on if you’re going alone or with a date.When you’re giving money for a wedding gift and attending solo, etiquette says you should spend about $50 to $75. But you may want to also take the couple you’re celebrating into consideration. If it’s a coworker, or someone you just contact from time to time, the lower end of the spectrum is appropriate. For a close friend or family member, consider going higher, to the $75 range, or even to $100.

If you’ve been invited to a wedding with a date, for closer friends and family, you may want to consider giving $200, or higher if you can afford it. For others, $100 to $150 is appropriate as a wedding gift amount.

Many etiquette experts tend to give a hard and fast set of numbers for a wedding gift because there are so many different factors at play.That’s to say it’s a good rule not to go below $50 for your wedding gift. This should be the base amount for acquaintances and distant relatives. From there you can inflate as you see fit, keeping in mind that you should increase the gift amount by at least 1.5 times if you go there with a date.

Megan Swift, an experienced wedding planner, says it is reasonable to give less if you had to spend a lot to get there. And, she and Cooper agree, buying items off a registry, where there is one, is also a good idea.

“Nowadays, couples are statistically older and more established in their lives so when they register, they are truly asking for things that they need,” Megan says.

Bring the Money to the Reception or Mail It Beforehand?

If you plan to give cash or a check, you’d better put the wedding gift money in an envelope so it doesn’t get lost. There should be a box or designated gift area at the reception where you can safely place your money. Opt for slipping your wedding gift money in the card box over handing it to the couple in person — they’ll be so overwhelmed. Just make sure you sign the check! And if you’re giving cash be sure to include a card with your name on it so the couple can thank you appropriately.

All in all, money gift money is essential when you attend a wedding. How much to spend depends on your familiarity with the couples,whether you bring a date and your financial condition. But keep in mind there is a hard number of $50. It’s not proper to give less than $50 wedding gift money. May this article be of some help to solve your confusion.