How much do you spend on a wedding gift?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depending on your relationship to the bride/groom/their parents/their families, if you like them good and well, I would say $50 is standard, especially if you are giving money. However, if you are a bargain shopper, you can get away with spending much less by shopping at certain stores where you can find name brand household items for much less than their original price.

I am getting ready to send a wedding gift to a close friend, whose wedding I could not attend. I decided that since I would have spent good money on airfare if I could have made it to the wedding, that I would spend a big chunk on her wedding present, to the tune of $450 (still way less than airfare for me, one kid and one infant who could sit in my lap). Now I wonder if that's ridiculous.

For a close friend whom I've know for 20 years since college, I'd spend that much, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depending on your relationship to the bride/groom/their parents/their families, if you like them good and well, I would say $50 is standard, especially if you are giving money. However, if you are a bargain shopper, you can get away with spending much less by shopping at certain stores where you can find name brand household items for much less than their original price.

I am getting ready to send a wedding gift to a close friend, whose wedding I could not attend. I decided that since I would have spent good money on airfare if I could have made it to the wedding, that I would spend a big chunk on her wedding present, to the tune of $450 (still way less than airfare for me, one kid and one infant who could sit in my lap). Now I wonder if that's ridiculous.

For a close friend whom I've know for 20 years since college, I'd spend that much, too.

That's exactly what she is. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

I got married before all of my friends so I just gave them around what they gave me and nearly all of them gave me around $100, $50 if they came alone. I give $100 to nearly everyone, around $70 if it's someone I don't really know well (some of my husband's friends we don't really know well because he just plays a sport with them) and $50 if I don't go to the wedding. The "give them what they gave me" rule doesn't count for those who were in Grad School or something at the time and had no money and really I match it because I figure that's what they consider a good gift so I know they'll be happy with it and won't get insulted if I give more or less than that. A good way to save some money if you don't have it is to go to Bed Bath & Beyond registries and use a 20% coupon, so you can get a gift that costs $125 but only spend $100 and if they take it back they can get cash.

[Anonymous]

I spend:

$50 for a couple that I am not that close to.

$100 for a couple that I am close to.

$150 for family (close cousins, etc.)

Ditto this exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I would not spend less than $250, unless that person spent less than that on us at our wedding. It does not matter whether we are attending or not. For good friends and family, the amount would be $400-500. If the invitation is from someone that you think is just trying to pad their guest list with gifts and there is no reasonable expectation that you would attend, then I think $100-150 is appropriate. The answer to your question really depends on your finances and the expectations of your social circle.

UGH! because of people like you that we are in this economic crisis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I would not spend less than $250, unless that person spent less than that on us at our wedding. It does not matter whether we are attending or not. For good friends and family, the amount would be $400-500. If the invitation is from someone that you think is just trying to pad their guest list with gifts and there is no reasonable expectation that you would attend, then I think $100-150 is appropriate. The answer to your question really depends on your finances and the expectations of your social circle.

UGH! because of people like you that we are in this economic crisis.

Excuse me? Are you serious??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I would not spend less than $250, unless that person spent less than that on us at our wedding. It does not matter whether we are attending or not. For good friends and family, the amount would be $400-500. If the invitation is from someone that you think is just trying to pad their guest list with gifts and there is no reasonable expectation that you would attend, then I think $100-150 is appropriate. The answer to your question really depends on your finances and the expectations of your social circle.

Am I the only one who found this amusing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I would not spend less than $250, unless that person spent less than that on us at our wedding. It does not matter whether we are attending or not. For good friends and family, the amount would be $400-500. If the invitation is from someone that you think is just trying to pad their guest list with gifts and there is no reasonable expectation that you would attend, then I think $100-150 is appropriate. The answer to your question really depends on your finances and the expectations of your social circle.

Am I the only one who found this amusing?

Not amusing, but certainly mercenary. I never based a wedding gift on what the receipent gave to us, I based it on our relationship and my current financial situation. I got married at 30 and had friends who married both years before and after me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I would not spend less than $250, unless that person spent less than that on us at our wedding. It does not matter whether we are attending or not. For good friends and family, the amount would be $400-500. If the invitation is from someone that you think is just trying to pad their guest list with gifts and there is no reasonable expectation that you would attend, then I think $100-150 is appropriate. The answer to your question really depends on your finances and the expectations of your social circle.

Am I the only one who found this amusing?

Not amusing, but certainly mercenary. I never based a wedding gift on what the receipent gave to us, I based it on our relationship and my current financial situation. I got married at 30 and had friends who married both years before and after me.

i agree with you pp. the whole give-what-you-get thing could be ONE factor in determining how much you decide to give, but if that's really the biggest factor then i feel bad for the friends who aren't rolling in the dough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I would not spend less than $250, unless that person spent less than that on us at our wedding. It does not matter whether we are attending or not. For good friends and family, the amount would be $400-500. If the invitation is from someone that you think is just trying to pad their guest list with gifts and there is no reasonable expectation that you would attend, then I think $100-150 is appropriate. The answer to your question really depends on your finances and the expectations of your social circle.

UGH! because of people like you that we are in this economic crisis.

I think tit-for-tat kind of friendships are not really friendships.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I would not spend less than $250, unless that person spent less than that on us at our wedding. It does not matter whether we are attending or not. For good friends and family, the amount would be $400-500. If the invitation is from someone that you think is just trying to pad their guest list with gifts and there is no reasonable expectation that you would attend, then I think $100-150 is appropriate. The answer to your question really depends on your finances and the expectations of your social circle.

UGH! because of people like you that we are in this economic crisis.

Not really--particularly if you can pay your bills--think of all the sales tax revenue generated here.

[Anonymous]

I'm bumping this thread because it's wedding season and I have a similar question.

Going to a wedding next weekend in New York. From talking to others, it's expected that you 'cover your plate'. So, we're talking $500 for the both of us. DH and I disagree about how much to give.

Normally, I give $100 if I can't attend, and then anywhere from $100-$500 if we do attend, depending on who's getting married.

[Anonymous]

PP, NY weddings are nuts. My husband is from NJ and every time we go to something up there, I am blown over with the level of excess.

Depending on who the people are, give them between $100 and $200. That is very kind of you, especially because you had to make the trip and pay hotel, too. And if you hear any complaints, then they're just plain RUDE.

[Anonymous]

Am I the only one who is just shocked that people spend up to $500 on a wedding gift? I usually give a place setting or a couple of crystal stems from their registry, but it's never more than about $200.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only one who is just shocked that people spend up to $500 on a wedding gift? I usually give a place setting or a couple of crystal stems from their registry, but it's never more than about $200.

even $200 seems overly lavish to me.

maybe you all are lawyers in a fourth dimension that i have no idea about.