How much cash to give as a wedding gift?

I give a hundred to relations , but if you don't know them very well , i suggest 75

Muppet Man wrote:

At a very minimum, Enough to cover the cost per head for the meal... But I would think 75 each is about right if you don't know them that well...

75 For two people? That wouldn't cover the dinner never mind a glass of wine

€200 per couple. If single €100. Just covers the costs really. If cash is tight, then give a thoughtful present.

i would say €75 each is fine. Certainly not under €100 for both of you.

Would definitely say judge based on the the venue, 5* hotel €150-€200 , 4* €125 - €150, 3* or under €100 is loads.

Think the general consensus is cover the cost of your meal if your going cash

Robineen wrote: »

But just because someone has chosen a more expensive venue, doesn't mean everyone can afford to give a correspondingly bigger gift. Going for a plush location is elective. The gift given should to my mind be independent of the event. It's to celebrate a marriage, not a wedding day.

I'm just talking from a personal point of view , Cash is no issue for me and my OH so we would always gift according to the Venue because you know the couple have spent a bit more on having a nice venue and more expensive food.

We were at two weddings two weeks apart last year one was her cousins it was a very standard hotel in Carlow , they didn't have a band or that so we gave €100 , my friend from work got married two weeks later in Rathsallagh , amazing venue great food they had a band , DJ all that craic so no issue giving them €200 as we felt that's what the day out was worth.

Obviously if money is an issue for you then the question somewhat doesn't apply as you should obviously just give what you can afford

Robineen wrote: »

That's another one I don't really understand. It's hard to say no when asked to be a groomsman or bridesmaid but that doesn't mean you can afford a bigger gift. And the groomsmen and bridesmaids often help out in other ways so I don't understand why they should be expected to give a bigger gift on top of that. Especially as they didn't have a choice in being asked to be part of the wedding party. They could say no to being part of it but then noses could be put out of joint. I've never given a larger gift as a bridemaid.

Oh and €200 isn't standard.



That's fine and if that's what you and your OH like to do, fair enough. I just don't think it should be a rule or an expectation.

SarahMollie wrote: »

I'd give the opposite advice. We typically give €200 for every wedding regardless of what the wedding entails. I'd throw in a bit more for very close friends of if I'm in the bridal party and our accommodation has been covered for example.

From the approach outlined above, its like the B&G are somehow entitled to expect more when they've chosen a more expensive venue, which I don't feel is right.

We've chosen a pretty expensive venue but thats just because its what we wanted. We're also having pretty small numbers by Irish standards, so our gifts covering the cost of the wedding is pretty much a non runner, and we're grand with that.

Just to clear up I think its the height of rudeness and a a show of absolutely zero class for any B&G to take issue with any gift or gift amount they receive. if a B&G are relying on wedding gifts to cover the costs of the day they have planned that for me would be an indicator that they cannot afford it and its a major case of all fur coat and no knickers.

Like you Sarah we have chosen a nice expensive venue, pleanty of good food , entertainment , wedding favors etc... however we are not expecting our guests to cover any costs it will all be paid for well in advance , an what we get on the day will be what it is we wont be in need of gifts to cover costs.

Just from a personal point of view when attending others weddings i would always go cash and i would always base it based on the quality of the day being provided as i think that's the fairest way of doing it. Id always look at being asked to be a member of the wedding party , i.e. a groomsman / best man as a real honor and would definitely go up to €500 depending on who it was. But again if others arnt in that financial position obviously dont give what you cannot afford.

Our general rule (between 2 of us) is 150 if you aren't very close to the couple, 200 if friends and then more if its family.. We give the same amount to people regardless of where it is or what the day is like. If they want to have it in a 2 star hotel or a 5 star hotel, that's their choice.. they are still getting the same from us, especially as if its 5 star we'd most likely be spending 5 star prices for everything on the day! (drinks/ room etc)

Robineen wrote: »

On the being in the wedding party thing, that's again totally your call if you want to give more when asked to be in it. I just a problem with it being an expectation that a wedding party member should give more. But, to be honest, I have no idea if that is a commonplace expectation in Ireland.

I'm getting married in November and tbh I'd be mortified if my party gave me that sort of money, or even if they felt they had to give more than anyone else. They shouldn't even give us a present, they're doing so much for us just by being part of the party!

baby and crumble wrote: »

On whose judgement though? I get where you're coming from, but what's amazing entertainment and a great day for one person might be a total nightmare for someone else, even if both are great friends of the couple getting married.

Seems a weird way to do it really. I have a wedding coming up in a month or so and it's actually the first wedding myself and my OH are in a position to gift money- previous weddings we attended were while we were both broke so giving a gift that we could find for a price that suited us (even if it meant taking time to find it- we had loads of time for that, what with not having a job!!) was what we did. I'm so baffled as to what to give now. I really think there's something to be said for having a gift registry these days...

I suppose me and My OH are into very similar things , so the type of wedding we would really rate would be quite similar , just always the way we've done it , looked at the quality of the hotel and based the gift on that more so than anything else, unless either one of us is in the wedding party.

Like if a hotel is not particularly nice you might end up with the added cost of booking in somewhere else or that so just seems kind of obvious to gift less , similarly you don't pay the same for a meal in a 3* hotel ans you do for one in a 5* hotel or a nice restaurant so again the gift would reflect that.

€200 - €300 per couple. No need to be stingy