going rate for a cash wedding gift?

ez

<font color=green>Yoshi Lover<br><font color=deepp
Joined
Jun 11, 2000
Messages
1,864
I will be attending an out of state wedding reception (I think they are having the actual ceremony in an exotic setting somewhere) It is my second cousins wedding (child of a cousin, is that correct?) What is the going rate for a cash wedding gift these days, it has been many years since I attended a wedding, thanks!!
 
I'm sure you'll get varying opinions on this, but I'd say roughly $100-$200 per person depending on wedding location and how close you are to the couple.
 
For the child of a random cousin, I'd say $100 per guest is more than adequate. If you have an actual relationship with the couple, or are close to the parents (the cousin) I might give more. But if I haven't seen the cousin's child in years, or only see them on rare occasions, $100 is plenty IMO.
 

There really is no such thing as a "going rate". There may be a general consensus among one group in one area, but that doesn't hold up other places.

Anything from $25-$500 is a "normal" wedding gift. So I would give whatever you feel is appropriate.
 
2nd cousin? I'd buy a gift from their registry in the $50-$75 range.

Weddings here don't typically have registries - those are for showers. Weddings here are a cash/check gift-depending on the venue gifts are usually anywhere from 150-250 per person, of course if you can't afford it you give what you can, or my favorite thing is to just to busy that date LOL, especially if its just a cousin or not very close friend.
 
If you want to stick with "local custom" it might be helpful to say where the reception is taking place. Maybe then you could get an idea of what local customs in that area.

Several of my cousins' children have gotten married in recent years (agree: that's 'first cousin once removed.' Your cousin's kids and your kids are 2nd cousins.) In our area, I think for that relationship, $100/family (not per person) is considered a decent gift. Of course, if you can afford to be more generous, go for it... but here, nobody expects you to cover your plate.
 
I think gifts should reflect how close you are to the couple and what you can afford. I probably wouldn't attend an out of state wedding for the child of a cousin unless I was close to that cousin and knew their child very well. I know a lot of people will spend all sorts of money going to weddings and other family affairs but I don't have a problem declining. If I am close to that family member I'll send a gift. If I haven't seen that cousin in many years and don't even exchange Christmas cards, I don't. Give a gift (or don't) based on what is right for you and your family.
 
What state is the wedding in? Here in Kentucky, a gift of $50 (nice) to $100 (very generous) would work (and that would be from the two of you combined, not per guest). Apparently in New Jersey, New York, etc, you'd want to shell out at least two to three times that.
 
I'm sure you'll get varying opinions on this, but I'd say roughly $100-$200 per person depending on wedding location and how close you are to the couple.

EEk, are you saying for a couple going to a wedding they should be giving $200-$400 and if they bring a child then it is $300-$600? Wowza. I actually had the same question. Haven't been to a wedding in awhile. Going to one in Florida this summer for a family member we haven't seen in a long time. I was just wondering if I should be giving a cash gift or something off the registry.
 
I would give $100.

What state are we talking? Are you bringing a guest or going alone? The answers to those questions could change my answer!
 
$100 p person if at a banquet hall/open bar type venue. You will basically be covering your "plate" and maybe $30 goes to the couple
 
I will be attending an out of state wedding reception (I think they are having the actual ceremony in an exotic setting somewhere) It is my second cousins wedding (child of a cousin, is that correct?) What is the going rate for a cash wedding gift these days, it has been many years since I attended a wedding, thanks!!

Actually, it's first-cousin-once-removed, but I'd say that that doesn't really change the "going rate".

It depends how close you are to them (I think of some of my first-cousins-once-removed as nephews/nieces and others I rarely see), but I'd give $100 to the closer ones and $50 to the others (and that would be just for me - not as part of a pair). But, as can be seen, the "going rate" really, really, differs.
 
EEk, are you saying for a couple going to a wedding they should be giving $200-$400 and if they bring a child then it is $300-$600? Wowza. I actually had the same question. Haven't been to a wedding in awhile. Going to one in Florida this summer for a family member we haven't seen in a long time. I was just wondering if I should be giving a cash gift or something off the registry.


Yeah, I was just yesterday looking at our vacation budget for our June trip, and we're spending $600 for 8 hotel nights. Definitely not dropping that on a wedding gift.
 
I'm sure you're going to get a wide variety of answers. The last wedding I attended for for my cousin about 6 years ago. We gave $350 from the 2 of us.
 
I really think this sort of thing is too regionalized to be discussed on a worldwide message board. You probably need to ask around to friends and family in the area.
 
We just went to our best friends daughter's wedding in Dec. there were 4 of us and I knew that it was $40 per plate, so I covered our plate and then gave an additional $100 bucks as a gift so $260 in total. It was Christmas time and money was tight otherwise I probably would have upped the anti a little bit more to like $400 but I just couldn't afford it.
 
I will be attending an out of state wedding reception (I think they are having the actual ceremony in an exotic setting somewhere) It is my second cousins wedding (child of a cousin, is that correct?) What is the going rate for a cash wedding gift these days, it has been many years since I attended a wedding, thanks!!

It depends on where you are. I'm in the Northeast, and we generally give $150 when we attend a wedding.

We usually give cash at the wedding, gifts from the registry are for the shower.
 














Save Up to 30% on Rooms at Walt Disney World!

Save up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels when you stay 5 consecutive nights or longer in late summer and early fall. Plus, enjoy other savings for shorter stays.This offer is valid for stays most nights from August 1 to October 11, 2025.
CLICK HERE







New Posts







DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest

Back
Top