How much money to give for a wedding: rules of etiquette and common sense

When is it appropriate to give money for a wedding?

Giving money to newlyweds is a completely sensible idea. Firstly, you can significantly save energy and time when choosing a gift. Secondly, you won’t worry about other invitees giving the same gift. In addition, there is always the possibility of giving something unnecessary. And the heroes of the occasion will spend the money received as a gift on what they need.

There are several other reasons why it would be appropriate to give money for a wedding:

• you found out about the upcoming wedding at the last moment, there is no time left to choose a gift;
• you don’t know what to give;
• The young family plans to live separately and does not have large funds.

Nowadays, newlyweds quite often make up a so-called “wish list”, in which they indicate what they would actually be pleased to receive as a gift, and even recommend stores where all this can be bought. Each guest has the opportunity to choose a gift that suits him at a price. If the future young family does not have such a list, you can ask them directly what they would like to receive for the wedding.

If the bride and groom prefer to receive a gift “in an envelope”, in the question of how much money should be given for the wedding, there is no need to mindlessly follow other invitees. First, evaluate your own financial capabilities, as well as how close the newlyweds are to you. Relatives and closest friends always give more money, and there are fewer demands on colleagues at work or study.

Familiar

To find out the most optimal amount for a gift, you need to take into account many factors - the location of the event and the level of relationship with the newlyweds. A good clue is the amount or budget that was allocated for the wedding celebration. For example, you can try to calculate how much money was allocated for renting the premises and the amount spent on feeding and drinking guests. The amount received must be divided by the number of expected guests and multiplied by two or three, depending on financial capabilities.

How to understand how much money to give to newlyweds for a wedding

So, you finally decided to give some amount of money as a gift. Now you need to determine how much money to give to newlyweds for a wedding in 2022. Everyone's level of financial well-being is different, and the expenses that every family can afford are also not the same. Therefore, the guest’s material security and the degree of his relationship with the newlyweds directly affect the amount of money donated.

1. Acquaintances, colleagues

   
   

   Colleagues and close friends can use a simple scheme to determine the amount of money for a gift.
   You need to estimate the estimated price of a wedding dinner for one guest on the festive table and double it.

   Thus, the newlyweds will reimburse the costs of the wedding banquet and receive the same money as a gift.

2. Friends

   
   

   On average, people get married at the age of 20–30, and the newlyweds' friends are often their same age. At this age, they usually finish their studies and rise to the first step of the career ladder, some also begin family life. Accordingly, their financial capabilities are quite limited. Therefore, the best option would be to put in the envelope a large bill of a denomination that you can afford, for example, a hundred dollar bill or approximately the same as our five thousand bill. Most often, the gift amount is about 3-5 thousand rubles - this is slightly more than the average price of a wedding dinner.
   If you have financial difficulties, you can give 1–3 thousand rubles to a close friend or girlfriend. The witnesses can jointly decide how much money to give for the wedding and put equal shares into one common envelope.
3. Close relatives

   
   

   Close relatives (aunts, uncles, grandparents) should not save on a gift for the newlyweds; they will have to spend more. The optimal gift amount starts from a bill of 5 thousand rubles or one hundred dollars. There is no upper limit here; it all depends on the financial capabilities and personal desires of the guest.
   Brothers and sisters can give 1–3 thousand rubles as an individual gift, to which you can add a small souvenir or a large bouquet of flowers. Or you can give a shared gift together with cousins ​​or parents.
4. Parents of the newlyweds

   
   

   How much money to give to a son for a wedding, and how much money to give to a daughter for a wedding - such questions do not usually arise for parents.
   Among the most common gifts from parents:
   • own apartment.

   honeymoon trip;

5. automobile;
6. country house.

Alternatively, parents can give their children the financial equivalent of these gifts. And the newlyweds will decide for themselves what would be more useful for them to spend this money on.

How to give a cash gift?

Most often, money for a wedding is placed in an envelope, thematically decorated with a pattern of white doves or wedding rings or flowers. But there are also original ways to give money as a wedding gift to newlyweds.

“Money in the Bank” is a simple gift with humor , when bills are placed in a transparent 3-liter jar. But even this simple technique can be played out in an interesting way:

• To make the container look full, put fake money along with real money, on which to print the image of the newlyweds;
• decorate the jar with beautiful fabric or paper and stick a label saying that this is the most reliable bank from which money will never disappear;
• give dollars by rolling them into tubes and tying them with a green satin ribbon, thereby presenting the gift as “cucumbers that were lovingly pickled by grandmother (mother).”

Money in the bank as a gift
A beautiful box is still relevant packaging for a monetary gift. You can make it yourself from cardboard and cover the outside with counterfeit banknotes.

If you are lucky enough to buy a box with a double bottom, then you can hide the money in a secret compartment, and put a note inside the box so that the newlyweds bother to look for the gift.

A picture made of money looks very unusual . In a large frame under glass you need to put banknotes from different countries: dollars, pounds, euros, shekels and rubles - everything that can be exchanged. A composition of banknotes of different sizes will look especially beautiful. When presenting a gift, you can wish the newlyweds to travel to all the countries whose money is represented in the picture.

Picture of bills and coins

How much money is customary to give for a wedding in other countries?

Each country has its own special traditions and customs. This also applies to wedding gifts. The minimum amount of money that must be given to newlyweds is different everywhere.

• For post-Soviet countries, the minimum amount of a wedding gift is approximately equal - about 100 dollars . About a third of this money reimburses the cost of renting a restaurant and a gala dinner; 60–70% remains as a gift to the newlyweds. The size of a gift from parents is usually several times higher than the average.
• In the European Union countries, on average, they give more than ours . It is common for German newlyweds to receive an amount of approximately $140. Giving less than $220 is considered rude at Swedish weddings. In Italy, the gift amount starts from 260 dollars, in Spain – from 300.

What determines the amount of the gift?

Of course, no one requires guests to go broke and give more than they can afford. First of all, always evaluate your financial situation; if you are a student, then no one will expect any huge sums. Another thing is that if you are a big businessman or director, giving a small gift will most likely not look your best in the eyes of the newlyweds.

The couple usually receives the largest amount from their parents, as from people close to them. The second place in terms of gift size can be given to relatives and best friends.

If you are not very close friends or just colleagues, then you need to keep in mind whether you will receive a gift from one person or from a couple. The more people who came with you, the greater the amount of the joint gift.

Perhaps you have already made financial investments, for example in a bachelor or bachelorette party, then the amount may be reduced.

Sometimes, guests have to travel from other cities to congratulate the bride and groom on the holiday. Of course, they are given a discount, since money has already been spent on travel and accommodation in a foreign city.

Gift ideas for a wooden wedding.

Colleagues

In most cases, work colleagues, depending on the number of employees, organize one common gift for the newlyweds. It is very difficult to name the exact amount in this case, since each organization has a different number of employees. The approximate amount is from 1000 rubles and depends on the position of the employee.

It will also come in handy ! Find out about the rules for choosing a bouquet for newlyweds for a wedding.

Best friend or close friend

A person’s best friend or girlfriend is perceived as having the status of a loved one, so when choosing a financial gift, it is worth taking into account the important factor of proximity. Therefore, the proven scheme for calculating the average amount spent on organizing a banquet per person, multiplied by two, is not entirely appropriate in this context. Of course, when allocating a budget for a gift, you need to start from your own financial resources, but a conditional 5,000 rubles in the form of a gift will be appropriate for less close people.

You can give your friends a whole “bag” of money for their wedding

For reference: the average banquet organization in large Russian cities for each guest ranges from 2 to 10 thousand rubles, depending on the set of dishes. You also need to add the cost of alcoholic drinks and the wedding buffet. Therefore, giving an amount of less than 5 thousand rubles in 2021-2022, even to a distant acquaintance, is not entirely decent, given the extent of the newlyweds’ expenses for organizing the celebration.

General

How much money do you usually give for a wedding? People give the newlyweds a sum of money that they can afford to spend on a gift for the newlyweds. This is the main and basic rule. For example, if a person’s monthly salary is 25 thousand rubles, then he can safely donate five thousand. It will be okay. Girls usually give less than men. This is due to the fact that women's incomes are often lower than those of men. But, for example, if a girl’s sister is getting married, then she can also give her five thousand (if possible) and a small bouquet of flowers. It will be quite decent.

How to give money and remain original

It is unlikely that anyone would think of taking out a purse from his bosom during his congratulatory speech and, after counting out a certain amount, putting it on the central table or passing it to the newlyweds through the guests. A cash gift requires appropriate registration:

1. Paper envelope : a postcard in the form of an envelope with an original picture and warm wishes (they will come in very handy when it comes to your turn to make a toast) can now be purchased at any bookstore or post office, so it is worth preparing it in advance, like a regular white postal envelope may look a little careless.
2. Original box : it can be decorated using various techniques (scrapbooking, quilling, origami, kanzashi, etc.) or simply tied with a neat ribbon; made to order, bought in a store or made yourself - it all depends on your imagination and taste.
3. Toy or chest : banknotes can be “handed over” to the newlyweds by a soft bear or kangaroo; the treasure can be hidden among rose petals in a beautiful box, which will later be useful for lovers to store the family budget or jewelry.
4. A certificate or gift card is a relatively new and already quite popular method that is also worth adopting.

You can also express your good attitude towards the newlyweds with the help of a handmade envelope: the newlyweds will definitely keep it for a long memory.

Close friends

To understand how much to give to the bride or groom, friends should start from the level of friendship between the parties. If we are talking about long-term friendship, for example, if young people have been communicating since childhood, then the gift should be meaningful.

If you chip in with a large group, you can create a big money cake

If the invitee goes without a partner, then the optimal amount for a gift ranges from 5 thousand rubles and above. However, you need to keep in mind the different and insidious toastmaster competitions, in which almost everyone invited will participate. Such tricky competitions include buying out a wedding cake, a gift for a daughter or son, etc. Close friends can present a gift in foreign currency, especially if the amount is large enough.

Interesting ! Find out what the bride can give the groom for his wedding.

To have a lot of money...

There are some tricks that will help your guest avoid getting into an awkward situation or give a “solidity” to a cash gift:

• No less and no more , that is, take the maximum possible amount for the wedding, but make a gift with an eye on the gifts of other guests of the same “rank” as you.

• Together - more : you can increase the amount by cooperating with one of your family or friends. This way the cash gift will increase 2-3 times and will look more solid.
• Smaller is bigger : money does not have to be given in the form of one bill; it can be “broken” into several smaller banknotes, which will make your envelope heavier.
• Money is different from money : the “origin” can give respect to a monetary gift: a good gift is in dollars or euros - a currency that is stable and in demand wherever the newlyweds go on a trip.

Bottom line

People should only give cash gifts that they can afford. There is no need to spend too much money in order to impress the newlyweds and others, and thereby get into unnecessary debt. This is completely useless. Moreover, people who are interested in the question of how much money relatives give for a wedding should understand that it all depends on how generous and wealthy the invitees are. In this case, the degree of relationship will not be decisive. Because there are situations when friends give the newlyweds ten thousand rubles, and the closest people only two or three thousand.

Additionally

How much money should I give for a wedding if a married couple is invited to a celebration with friends? This issue is now considered particularly relevant. After all, right before attending a celebration, spouses begin to calculate not only their budget, but also upcoming expenses.

So, a married couple can present close friends with an amount of up to ten thousand rubles for their wedding. For two adults this is a pretty decent gift. Especially if the celebration is celebrated in a cafe or restaurant. The newlyweds will certainly be happy with such a gift.