The Essential Guide to Buying Wedding Gifts
Is cash better than a gift? How much should you spend? Here, answers to your most common wedding gift conundrums.
James Merrell
Q: Is there a standard price range that guests are supposed to spend?
A: There’s no perfect or proper amount of money to spend on a gift for any wedding guest―even a best friend―and no one is obligated
to give a certain type of gift, says Smith. And that old belief that the guest should spend the price of her reception meal?
“Another manners myth,” says Smith. Let your relationship and your own budget guide your selection.
Q: I’m in the wedding party and am already spending so much! Do I need to buy a registry gift, too?
A: Not necessarily. “Etiquette’s all about thinking ahead,” says Smith. Make a list of all the upcoming expenses―shower, bachelorette
party, dress, transportation, and lodging―and budget accordingly. Even if you only have a small amount left for a gift, Smith
recommends at least giving a little something such as a book of love poems or a small framed picture.
Q: I’m going to both the wedding shower and the wedding. Must I buy gifts for both?
A: Unfortunately, yes. “That’s part of the obligation you agreed to when you RSVPed for both,” says Kingsdorf. Consider going
in on a group gift with fellow guests in the same position to help lessen the cost for each person.
