How Much to Spend On Wedding Gifts? 8 Guidelines that Help You Decide How Much To Spend

By Chris Leung

I was invited to a wedding recently. Since I have not been to one for a long time, I was trying to figure out how much to spend on wedding gifts nowadays. I started to look around on the web. I realized there are many people have the same questions about how much they should spend on a wedding gift.

After reading different websites and visiting many forums, below are some common guidelines that I found.

1. Most people spend between $25 and $200 per person, depends on how close they are with the brides and grooms. The closer they are, the bigger the gift is. Family and close relatives usually spend the most.

2. Of course, the most important thing is how much you can afford. The brides and grooms usually do not expect you to spend too much if they know you are on a limited budget. They are happy just to have you to be part of their special day.

3. How much to spend on a wedding gift also depends on where the wedding take place. If the wedding is in a nice hotel with elegant dinner and open bar, the guests usually spend more. If it is a more causal wedding, people usually spend less on gifts.

4. If you have to travel to their wedding reception, you can spend less on the gifts. The brides and grooms usually expect smaller gifts since you have to pay for car rental, hotel rooms, plane tickets, travel expenses, and take the time out to attend their wedding.

5. If you are on a tight budget, buy something that the brides and grooms would cherished. Think about what they like and what would be special to them. I like to buy engraved picture frames or similar types of personalized gifts.

6. Check out the gift registry. Most couples register at Macy's, Nordstrom, Bed Bath & Beyond, or similar department stores. Pick something that fit your budget and something that reflect your relationship with the bride and groom. If you cannot find anything that fit your budget, buying them a gift card for that department store is also considered appropriate.

7. Many people talk about the tradition of estimating how much you should spend base on how much the meal cost is. However, on the forum discussion boards that I visited, many brides and grooms do not expect they would get back as much as they spent. The meal costs do not include the rental cost of the venue, entertainment, photographers, cake, and many other fees. Many people cannot afford to pay that much for gifts either. Although some people still use this method as an estimate, most people do not put this factor into consideration at all.

8. Many people also concern about whether they should give regular gifts or cash. There is a culture and regional difference of how people perceived cash gifts. In the northern part of the US, most people give cash as gift and it is considered perfectly appropriate. People from the south might think giving cash is impersonal. Many Asian American usually give their friends and relatives cash, and they expect other people do the same. People from other part of the world also have their own traditions. Therefore, be sensitive to the culture of the bride and groom next time when you shop for wedding gifts.

In conclusion, there is no "rule" of how much to spend on wedding gifts. Stick with your budget and spend as much as you can afford. When you are shopping for wedding gifts, pick something that you think they would like, and something that reflect your relationship with them. It could be cheap or expensive, or even homemade. Bride and groom are happy that you can be there on their special day, how much you spend on the wedding gifts does not matter that much.

Chris Leung

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