How Much Money Should You Give For a Wedding Gift?
If you’re unsure about giving money as a gift, here’s my guide for giving money as a wedding gift:
How much money should I give for a wedding? This is something I personally have been asked before when a past couple attended a friend’s wedding and to be honest, at first, I was pretty stumped. You want to give them an appropriate amount of money, cover their costs, and then maybe a little extra, but you don’t know where to begin.
The question of how much cash to give for a wedding gift is one that most people have at least some anxiety about. This article discusses the different amounts and provides guidelines on what are appropriate amounts to give. It also talks about when it’s not appropriate to give cash as a wedding gift.
Straight up, the amount I see over and over and over again is somewhere between $50-$150 per person.
When I surveyed my Instagram followers, a majority of them said they would give $50 per person for a wedding, so $100 per couple. I am also located in the Midwest, so some of the couples I surveyed in Chicago and on the East Coast said higher numbers like $150 and $200 per person.
But, why give a gift at all? It’s a nice gesture to wish them well but you also have to consider how expensive a wedding is and the fact that you, out of the millions of people in the world, were invited to this couple’s special day. It might be a wedding for 25 people and it might be a wedding for 500, but you were one of the lucky ones. And you’re being wined and dined all night, so you should respectfully cover your bill. Plates of food at a wedding venue are quite pricey at a typical venue. Locally, for Toledo Ohio weddings, that means somewhere between $40-$75 PER PLATE. Then you’re adding alcohol on top of that!
So when shouldn’t you give a cash gift? When you bring a physical gift from their registry or have it shipped to them. Otherwise, your presence was carefully considered and you should absolutely pay for your meal and give the couple a little thank you present for their happiness.
I know personally when I got married, I had people come that didn’t bring anything and I had a few people give us higher checks like $500 or $1000. I felt like for a family, I most commonly saw checks between $250 and $350. Obviously, bring what you can afford financially and the couple will (or SHOULD) understand no matter what!
Knowing what a wedding costs, I would personally give $100 per adult person when attending a wedding as a guest.
