Free Article: How Much to Spend on a Wedding Gift

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Decide How Much to Spend on a Wedding Gift
By Barbara Kelly

When deciding how much to spend on a wedding gift there are factors to consider; where the wedding will be held, the budget as a wedding attendee, and the relationship with the bride and/or groom. If the wedding is a destination wedding because there is a heavier cost by each person attending the wedding only a bridal shower gift is usually seemed proper; if the wedding is local it is often deemed proper etiquette to bring a gift to the bridal shower and a wedding gift.

The Wedding Attendant Budget

When attending a wedding either as part of the wedding party or as a friend of the family a person should decide how much they plan on spending all together. If a person is planning on being a bridesmaid, going to an out of town wedding, is attending the wedding, but not the bridal shower; the person should decide how much to spend all together and from there budget how much to spend on a wedding gift.

This could break down as $500 dollars total budget: $200 traveling expenses, $200 for the bridesmaid dress, and that would leave $100 as how much that person would have to spend on a wedding gift.

Some Ideas on Proper Etiquette

Some people believe it is proper etiquette to spend about the same on the wedding gift as the attendee believes was spent on their dinner to somewhat offset the cost of the reception. There are two very strong sides to this thought; some people really believe that this is the most appropriate way to gauge how much to spend on the wedding gift, while others believe it should depend completely on how well the person going to the wedding knows the bride or groom and how much the person attending the wedding can afford to spend.

Where a person lives can also dictate how much a person should spend on a wedding gift. In some areas of the country the weddings tend to be more formal and would in turn require a more expensive gift, especially if the person is not also attending the bridal shower. If someone lives in an area where the wedding would be less formal the popular belief is that spending less is often thought to be appropriate.

Most people today have a gift registry set up to let their attendants know exactly what they would like for their home or a fund to which they would like their attendants to contribute. Also, because many people live together before they are actually married the need for gifts for their homes in less than the need for money could be. Many couples actually prefer to receive money either to save for a big-ticket item for their home, a new home, or even a special honeymoon they'd like to take.

Author Details:
Barbara Kelly writes for a number of sites about weddings and related subjects such as wedding gifts. You may find the following links useful: Jewelry, watches & wedding photography

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