How much to spend on wedding gift?

Wokstar

I think people would tend to be more generous in weddings in Ireland (probably due to a higher cost of weddings / open bars). I asked a friend in London how much he thought was appropriate and was shocked when he said £50 a couple. It seems very cheap to me. The high euro doesn't help. I think you'd be better off buying a present on-line and having it delivered to Ireland.

trying_2_b_good

My rule is...
if you're there for the meal, think how much you'd spend at a restaurant and pay that. If they're good friends, add a bit more.

If you're in a group of friends, decide a budget and buy together - 6 of you wanting to spend £20 each means lots of cheese knives and cushions (that were only put on the list for people with low budgets). Or one amazing present for £120!!!

melancholly

i know this is an old resurrected thread, but £50 a couple seems generous to me! i know some people who have 5/6 weddings to go to this year (we had 3 last year which was expensive enough) and often, it's a weekend away on top. spending £100 a go on a present just isn't an option!

(and for me, spending as much as i would on a meal doesn't really help since food at restuarants is usually paid from tesco clubcard vouchers!)

sdonnelly

I think a lot of the comments about how much to spend are from tight people. Im not married myself but i no that meals at weddings cost about £35-40 per head and then wine, chair covers, cost of stationary etc on top of tht. u cant expect a free meal at the end of the day. the day is costing a lot 4 the bride and groom and i am sure theyre had to go months possibly a few years on cutting down on nites out etc 2 pay 4 the day so i dont think its 2 much 4 guests 2 maybe do without a few nites out and spend a little extra on the gift. i would always spend about £100 on wedding gifts if invited 2 the whole day but personally i think anything less than £80 is tight.

floss2

We spent £50 on a wedding present last year, for my best mate. We thought this was about right, and I have no expectations of what we may receive in September. I certainly am not expecting to receive anything like the cost per head back in gifts.

However, the whole weekend cost us £60 in Tesco vouchers turned into deals for 2 nights B&B in the hotel, at least £60 in drinks, plus about £25 in fuel - we had to take both cars as OH was travelling with work the next day while I was going home in the other direction. Oh, and about £185 on new suit & shoes for OH, and £50 for my outfit, either BNWT from Ebay or already in my wardrobe So that £50 made up a small element of the whole cost to us of the wedding weekend.

funkydresser

When attending any wedding I always use a simple sum

• approximate cost of each meal usually about £50 if in hotel or £25 if in hired hall etc,
• add to that the price of gift, friends children getting married usually £50, family, direct family £100

eg if DH and I are invited to friends' daugher/son is getting married and reception is in hotel then gift works out at £150 if in hired hall £100.

Thankfully so far this year we have no weddings, last year was 3 and next year so far is 2 (both in Ireland).

pretzelnut

It is costing us about £120 per head to invite our guests to our wedding, NO WAY would i expect that back from any of my guests.

One of the couples we have invited a close friend of mine has 5 children and is on a low incme NO WAY would i expect her to give us back what we paid for her and her children as a gift.

I know it will be a struggle enough for them to get there, the cost of travel, accomodation, clothing etc.

We have got the wedding we wanted at a cost WE could afford and have invited the people we want there because we want them there not because we expect them to pay us that back as a gift. We consider our wedding day not only a day to celebarate our marriage but as a thank you to our friends and family who have gievn us much support and help over the numerous years, us paying for a meal etc is just our way of saying thank you.

I give what i can afford at the time, i am not going to loose sleep over it.

minerva_windsong

The last three wedding presents I bought (for my sisters and a uni friend) were £20-40 each, but I was a poor student at the time so it was all I could really afford. That said though no one complained about the price, if anything they were just grateful for the fact that I was able to make it due to uni demands and to receive anything, despite the fact that the weddings cost more per head than my gifts did. I certainly wouldn't expect anyone to spend the equivalent of what it was costing me per head on a gift at my wedding, I'd just be pleased that they came in the first place and would consider it a bonus to receive anything extra regardless of cost.

seafarers_wife

ive got my best friends wedding later in the year and i will be attending on my own as my fiancee is away. i will be spending at least £500 that weekend. hotel room for 3 nights, fuel there and back, my outfit, drinks, food, hair and make up. present wise it will depend on finances but at the moment budgeting around £100 for a present. If they have a wedding list i will get something off that, if not then it will be cash to do what they like with as they have their own place and everything else they need.

im only spending that much on a present as its my best friend anyone else if it was just myself would get £30 or £50 if both of us were going.