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Being a wedding guest can be expensive – there’s travel, accommodation, you might even treat yourself to a new outfit – then there’s another cost to factor in: the gift.<\/b><\/p>\n
It’s now commonplace for invitations to read: “Your presence is enough, but if you would like to give us a gift, please donate to our honeymoon fund.”<\/p>\n
But replacing the traditional gift list with bank transfer details, can leave guests with a new etiquette dilemma: how much are you expected to give?<\/p>\n
Wedding list service Prezola says it has seen a rise in couples inviting guests to pay for specific experiences rather than a generic cash pot. It says the average guest contribution is \u00a3116.<\/p>\n
But expectations can vary widely, depending on everything from closeness and culture to the cost of attending.<\/p>\n
Johnny, 34, says he and his wife Lottie contribute between \u00a3250 and \u00a3400 depending on how close they are to the bride and groom and what they can afford at the time.<\/p>\n
“We don’t have that many friends, so it’s nice to give generously,” he says.<\/p>\n
At his own wedding, most close friends gave between \u00a3100 and \u00a3200, one couple gave \u00a3400 and they received \u00a32,000 from Johnny’s dad.<\/p>\n
They used it as spending money on their 17-day honeymoon in Canada which Johnny says they’d saved for “because it’s not worth the risk of relying on donations”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n