How Much Should You Spend on a Wedding Gift? 12 Etiquette Tips

Wondering how much to spend on a wedding gift? It’s a fair question—as wedding invites start to pile up, dollar signs might also start to flash. The idea of having to spring for flights, hotels, bridesmaid dresses, and then—on top of everything—a wedding present for each occasion can become a serious source of stress for wedding guests. (It doesn’t help that wedding gifts often conjure up images of, well, a lot of expensive things: porcelain china, polished silverware, and linens with a thread count you didn’t even know was possible.)

Complicating matters more is the seeming lack of concrete wedding gift etiquette. Questions, like how much to give for a wedding gift, start to come up. When do you buy the gift? Can you buy gifts outside the registry? Is giving cash gauche? 

Here, answers to these questions and more, with expert insights from Kylie Carlson, the CEO of the International Academy of Wedding & Event Planning, Zola, and Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette by Anna and Lizzie Post.

1. How much should I spend on a wedding gift?

According to Zola, the average person spends 50 to 100 dollars on a wedding 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. 

If everything left on the registry is over your budget of 50 to 75 dollars, it’s a good idea to get the couple a gift card to one of the stores where they registered. 

However, remember these are just guidelines. “There is no minimum (or maximum) amount guests should spend,” writes Emily Post.

2. Is it okay to give a group wedding gift?

If the only items left on the registry are well over your budget or you really want to gift the couple a big-ticket item you know they’ll love, join forces with a group of friends. And for bridesmaids and groomsmen who have already spent quite a bit of money on the bridesmaid dress, bachelor party, and shower, this is a particularly wise way to gift—the couple will receive a thoughtful big-ticket present from the wedding party, and each person can usually get away with spending a bit less individually.