How much money to give as a wedding gift?
A common rule of thumb: your gift roughly covers what the couple spends on your seat, and a closer relationship adds a little more. Answer a few questions to get an amount, a sensible range, and how to make it up in bills - cash, a check, or a registry gift of similar value all work.
Prices updated: · United States (USD) · free, no sign-up
Calculator result
Your gift
$275
from the two of you
Where the amount comes from
- Covering your seats2 adults, about $110 per guest$220
- Relationship extraGiven once, not per person$50
- Not sure about the venue? We assumed a typical restaurant or hotel. A banquet hall is about $35 less per guest, a luxury venue about $65 more.
- Use crisp bills or a check in a signed card - after the wedding the couple opens dozens of cards at once and wants to thank the right people.
How we calculate
- Gift = cost of your seat at the reception + an extra for your relationship. The seat cost depends on the venue (banquet hall about $75, restaurant or hotel about $110, luxury venue about $175 per guest with drinks) and the area (big city +25%, rural -15%).
- A couple covers two seats but gives the relationship extra once. Kids 4-12 count as half a seat, teens as 0.8, little ones under 4 not at all. A wedding weekend with a rehearsal dinner or brunch adds 15% to the seat cost.
- Relationship extra: coworker or acquaintance $0, cousin or extended family about $75, friend about $50, wedding party member about $75, aunt or uncle about $150, godparent about $200, sibling about $300. In the Northeast cash gifts tend to be more generous, in the South and Midwest more modest.
- Your budget shifts the amount by -15% or +20%, long travel at your own cost by -10%, but never below the cost of your own seat. Parents and grandparents are calculated separately - for them it is not about the plate.
- We round to amounts people actually give: in $25 steps up to $300, $50 steps up to $1,000, then $100 steps.
Cheat sheet: prices and good practice
Typical gifts (restaurant reception, suburbs)
- Coworker: $100 solo / $225 as a couple
- Friend: $150 / $275
- Aunt or uncle: $250 / $350
- Godparent: $300 / $400
- Sibling: $400 / $500
Etiquette
- A safe minimum: roughly the cost of your seat ($75-150 per person)
- Can’t attend: $50-100 with a card, or a registry gift
- Registry gifts count the same as cash - spend about the same amount
- You have up to three months after the wedding to send a gift, but bringing a card on the day is easiest
Questions and answers
How much should a couple give for a wedding gift?
For a restaurant or hotel reception in a mid-size city, about $250-300 from a couple of friends - roughly the cost of two seats plus a little extra. In a major metro or at a luxury venue, $300-400 is common.
Is it OK to give cash instead of a registry gift?
Yes. Many couples prefer cash or a check, especially if they already live together or are saving for a home or honeymoon. Put it in a signed card; checks are usually made out to both names.
Do kids change the amount?
Only if they have their own seat and meal. A child of 4-12 is usually about half a plate, a teenager almost a full one. Toddlers on a lap do not change the amount.
Calculate next
- Gifts vs. wedding cost Gifts counted per couple and household, not per guest - an honest look at what gifts bring in versus what the wedding costs.
- Guest attendance Realistic attendance by guest group, with a range - how many seats to book and how many meals to plan.
- Venue and catering Per-guest price for adults and kids, the bar, vendor meals, a day-after brunch, and the service charge and tax that turn a $100 menu into about $130.
- Wedding budget A full wedding budget in 30 seconds - from catering to wedding bands, with price ranges.
For the party itself
Games every guest plays at once
Couple trivia, awards and a finale on the big screen. Guests join with a QR code on their phones, no app to download.