| Whenever you go to a wedding, you probably ask | | | | $150 if you bring a date (these are June 2008 |
| yourself "How much money to give for a wedding gift" | | | | numbers). You should increase this number to |
| or "how much money to spend on the wedding gift"? | | | | $100-$125 for a relative or friend, and if it's a close |
| There are of course several approaches to calculate | | | | friend or close relative, to anywhere from $100 to $150. |
| how much money to spend: | | | | If you are planning to give the couple an engagement |
| | | | gift and a shower gift in addition to the wedding gift, |
| 1. The "how much the meal cost" approach - is to | | | | The Knot suggests that you come up with a total |
| estimate how much your meal costs and cover that | | | | expenditure that feels right to you and then divide it as |
| costs (so if you brought a date to the wedding you | | | | follows: |
| should spend at least twice the meal cost). The hard | | | | 20% of your total on the engagement present |
| part with this approach is estimating the cost of the | | | | 20% of your total on the shower gift |
| meal. | | | | 60% of your total on the wedding gift |
| 2. The "spend as much as you can" approach - which | | | | As with any gift, no matter how much you end up |
| basically says that you should spend as much as you | | | | spending, the most important thing is that it comes |
| can afford. | | | | from the heart! |
| 3. The "hard numbers" approach - suggests the | | | | Enjoy the wedding! |
| following hard numbers: $75 if you come alone and | | | | |