Some schools of thought offer that you have up to a year following the wedding to send a gift to the couple. However, most couples will admit that receiving the gift prior to the wedding or within three months of the wedding is most common and most convenient for them.
Wedding gifts, sent within a year of the wedding date, are considered appropriately sent as a general rule and will help a new couple start their lives together properly.
For a co-worker or acquaintance: $50 to $100. For a friend or relative: $75 to $150. For a close friend or relative: $150 to $250. And if you're a young person with limited budget: $50 to $75 is reasonable.
However, you should know that you'll leave the bride and groom confused – they will either feel shocked or disrespected that you came empty-handed (unless you've told them ahead of time to expect ZERO gift from you). Is it rude NOT to give a wedding gift? The simple answer is YES, it's poor etiquette.
While etiquette experts may say that you have one year after a wedding to send a gift, don't wait that long. Send that gift as soon as you can, no later than a month after the big day.
Bottom line: There's no hard-and-fast rule on how much cash to give as a wedding gift. Wedding experts do, however, advise starting at $100. From there, you may want to adjust up to $500 based on factors such as your relationship with the couple, your budget and the cost of your attendance at the wedding.
For a colleague or acquaintance, $50 to $75 is acceptable. You can work within that range at your discretion. For family or someone close to you, $75 to $100 and even as high as $150 is perfect. Then if you're going as a couple, it's routine to double the amount or keep it at $200.
Upon consulting the experts, a wedding gift should range from $75 to $750—but most agree that $300+ is the sweet spot.
In fact, it's been estimated that between 7 and 10% of guests at a wedding fail to give a gift.
They suggest the following breakdown: coworkers or distant relatives should spend 50 to 75 dollars. Friends or relatives, 75 to 100 dollars. For close friends, family, or if you are in the wedding party, you should spend 100 to 150 dollars—or more.
The average wedding gift amount hovers right around $100, which is a great place to start, and you can increase or decrease that based on how close you are.
"An appropriate range for a wedding gift can be quite wide, from $50 to $500 and beyond," Sara Margulis, CEO and co-founder of honeymoon registry site Honeyfund, told USA TODAY, noting that the average gift on Honeyfund runs between $125 and $150.
Belated Wedding Wishes: Better late than never, I want to extend my warmest wishes for your married life. Please forgive me for sending my gift so belatedly. Heartfelt apologies for the delay, but I hope this small token of my affection will make up for it.
Some schools of thought offer that you have up to a year following the wedding to send a gift to the couple. However, most couples will admit that receiving the gift prior to the wedding or within three months of the wedding is most common and most convenient for them.
There's no hard-and-fast answer to this question. “The average gift that people give for a wedding is around $100, and that stays consistent whether they're giving a physical product or a cash gift,” says Emily Forrest, director of communications for Zola, a wedding registry website.
$100 to $250 is a safe range for a cash gift at a wedding
How much you give at a destination or local wedding depends on your relationship with them and your budget,” he says.
THE ETIQUETTE
She offers these guidelines to wedding-goers wherever they might be: A distant relative or co-worker should give $75-$100; a friend or relative, $100-$125; a closer relative, up to $150. If you are wealthy, are you expected to inflate the gift? No, Cooper says.
The average wedding gift is around $100 (per guest), and this baseline is a great place to start. If you're bringing a plus-one, then you can give $200 as a couple. Is $25 an appropriate amount for a wedding gift? $25 may be appropriate if you're simply an acquaintance or co-worker of the bride/groom.
"If your gift is arriving after the shower or wedding, it's nice to give a card so the couple knows a gift is coming," says Culver.
There's no rule that says you can't ask for money as a wedding gift. It may feel like a wedding faux pas, but these days there's no need to stick with tradition when it comes to your big day. Communicating your wishes and desires is never a bad thing — after all, it's your celebration.
We're seeing the same general amount to give for a wedding gift of cash: anywhere within the $75 to $200 range is the norm. On average, most wedding guests give a gift of around $150 to $160 as a wedding present. According to etiquette experts, though, the minimum amount is around $75.
The amount you give to a colleague versus a family member such as your son or daughter, for example, will differ. The wedding website The Knot recommends the following amount as a general guide: A colleague or a distant family friend/relative: $50-$75. Friend/relative: $75-$100.
For every plus one who accepted your invitation, spend 1.5–2 times as much on a present for the bridal party. The typical range for a wedding gift or wish well contribution in Australia is between AU$51 and AU$125.
In certain cultures, cash wedding gifts are a given. If you have the choice between giving a cash or a check, it's really a tossup. Giving cash is certainly easier for the couple, but you may not have the exact amount of cash you want to give lying around, so a check might be easier for you.