Wedding Gift: How Much To Spend

Is there an appropriate amount to spend on a wedding gift? Is there a minimum amount that you have to spend on the bride and groom to be? Whatever questions you have about how much to spend, you are probably going to get a wide variety of answers. How much you spend on a wedding gift is completely up to you.

Most websites say that you should spend around fifty to seventy-five dollars on a wedding gift. That seems pretty reasonable, but how much you spend depends on a lot of different factors. There really is not "set" amount you should be spending on a wedding gift, but hopefully this blog will make you feel more comfortable about making that decision.

I’ve heard many stories from married couples that say that there were several people who did not give a gift at their wedding. At my wedding, there were a couple of people who we did not receive a gift from. Don’t be THAT person. If you go to someone’s wedding, give the newlyweds something, a card, a small amount of cash, something not too expensive from their registry. This should be common sense; sadly, it isn’t.

It is not as though the couple is demanding gifts from everyone. It is simlply proper etiquette to give a gift if you attend a wedding.

Now, more than ever, affordability has to play a factor in how much you spend on anything, including a wedding gift. Let’s face it; some people simply can’t afford to spend seventy- five dollars on a gift for a wedding. If you can’t spend a lot of money on a wedding gift, then get creative.

One of my wife’s favorite gifts that we received is a cross-stitch pattern from one of our best friends. It says “two hearts, one love” with both of our names and the date of our wedding underneath it.

My point is that sometimes a unique and inexpensive (but thoughtful) gift can be just as good or better than a gift bought at a store. One could easily argue that you don’t have to spend much on a wedding gift. You just have to be thoughtful.

The fact is if you give money as your gift, you might be spending more than if you were to buy a gift. The reason is because you may feel obligated to give at least a certain amount if you give cash, but you could easily find a great gift for under that amount. You may see a very nice mini lamp set on the registry for $35 that you know the couple will love. Getting the lamp set with a nice card would be satisfactory. But if you were to give money as a gift, you may feel obligated to give at least fifty dollars.

Speaking personally, I feel that the minimum I would give a couple for a wedding gift is fifty dollars. But that’s just me; I’m fairly young and don’t make too much money. Your minimum could easily be higher or lower. I can imagine that as I get older and make more money, the amount of money I would be willing to spend would go up.

If you plan on giving a gift from the registry, then one gift should suffice. Now don’t be cheap and get the couple a spatula and that’s it. I’m talking about things like plates, a set of silverware, a set of mugs/cups they want, etc. Hopefully the bride and groom have picked enough items at variety of price points so their guests can find something they can afford on the registry.

Again there really is no minimum here because the gifts literally could range anywhere from $15- $700. And it’s not like you’re getting them something they don’t want; they picked it for the registry.

Let’s say there’s beautiful china set on your friend’s registry for around $350. You know that she really wants it, but obviously you can’t afford it yourself. Find four or five friends or family members to split the cost with.

If you’re afraid that giving a “group” gift doesn’t seem very personable to you, then get a separate card just from you to give to the couple. Whatever gift you give, whether it be a group gift or one just from you, always include a card wishing the couple a happy marriage.

One idea is that the closer relationship you have with bride and or groom, the more you should be willing to spend on a gift for them. I can buy that to an extent. For example, let’s assume my brother is getting married and so is one of my friends from college. I know both are young and just starting out on their own, so I think giving them money is the best wedding gift for both.

I would give my friend from work a fifty dollar check with a nice card wishing him and his wife well. I would give my brother fifty dollars and a nice card too, but I would also get him an engraved picture frame with a photo of all of my brothers.

Of course I am spending more money in total, but it’s really more about the thoughtfulness behind the gift.

It really shouldn’t matter to the married couple how much you spend on their wedding gift. Nor should you stress about it either. Just remember that someone is shelling out a decent amount of money for the food and drinks that you will be enjoying on their wedding night, so don’t be stingy. As long as you pick a heartfelt and thoughtful gift that you are comfortable giving, you really can’t go wrong.