Skip to Search Skip to Live Player Skip to Content Skip to Footer

How Much Money Should You Gift For A Wedding?

Author Carolyn Kruse

Does this question come up quite a bit in your house? Or every time you go to a wedding, do you discuss how much is the proper amount to give for a gift? We recently had this topic come up in my house, so I did some Googling. Here’s what I came up to answer the question, “how much money should you gift for a wedding?”

There is no one answer, as you may have guessed. It depends upon the circumstances, the people and the relationships. However, according to US News & World Report the short answers is: Start with $100 and work up from there. Whew. I can go to bed now. No, wait, there’s more…

Wedding

Getty Images

Show Me The Money

The average person spends between $50-$100 on a wedding gift, according to an article in Vogue and citing the wedding website Zola. They also offer a really great suggestion for your various relationships, and they are as follows:

  • Co-workers or distant relatives: $50-75
  • Friends or relatives: $75-$100
  • Wedding party: $100-$150

Another factor, I personally think you should consider is where you live. $75 goes a lot further in certain parts of the country. Here is New England, and specifically the Boston area, everything is more expensive. The article also recommends that if everything on the registry is over your budget, you could give the couple a gift card to one of the stores they are registered.

Cash is King

How much money should you gift for a wedding is a very tricky question. Is it for the bridal registry, is it for the wedding day? What I have done recently is buy a gift on the registry and also put some money in a card for the wedding day, or mail it to the couple. Weddings are expensive for everyone; the couple giving the wedding, the wedding party and the guests with their gifts. Do what you feel you can afford and what feels right.

Push comes to shove, everybody loves money and they couple can use it for their honeymoon. According to etiquette queen, Emily Post, cash gifts are perfectly acceptable. And the fact is most millennials are getting married later and already have the swag. They would likely prefer cash. ,

 

Want To Be Happy? What You Need To Make In Massachusetts & Other States

  • Texas: Minimum salary needed to be happy: $97,230

    So the saying “everything is big in Texas” seems to be true. NOT for spending however. Believe it or not, the cost of living there is over 7% below the national average.

    Cost of Living in Texas (2024) | SoFi

    Everything's bigger in Texas, they say. Except the expenses really aren't. The cost of living in Texas is moderate to low - here's how the cost breaks down.

  • Florida: Minimum salary needed to be happy: $109,725

    During the pandemic, the unemployment rate in Florida was pretty high. As of now however, it’s 2.7%. It’ll take 109k to be happy there however if you just want to maintain, making $62,700 will suffice. 

    This is how much money you need to make to be happy living in Florida

    If you've ever wondered what the price of happiness was in Florida, a new study claims to have the answer.

  • Rhode Island: Minimum salary needed to be happy: $116,760

    Just being in New England, the cost of living goes up. In RI, the cost of living is $11,760 higher than the national average.  RI actually ranks #29 for happy states in the country. Kinda right in the middle. 

    Happiest States in America

    Happiest States in America

  • New Jersey: Minimum salary needed to be happy: $119,700

    The cost of living in New Jersey is higher than you may think. It’s actually 14 percent higher than the national average, though unemployment has come down to 3.4%.  

    New Jersey is the fifth-happiest state in the country, report says. Here's why

    New Jersey is the fifth-happiest state in the U.S., behind only Minnesota (4), Maryland (3), Hawaii (2) and Utah (1), according to Wallethub.

     

  • Maine: Minimum salary needed to be happy: $120,225

    Okay, this one surprises me. Maybe because when you think of Maine, you think of beautiful water, hiking, nature…things you can experience with no money at all. However, living on the coast of Maine is more than 14% over the national average. 

    https://wanderingthroughmaine.com/living-in-maine/

  • New Hampshire: Minimum salary needed to be happy: $120,435

    New Hampshire is another place you’d think would take less money to be happy. But the simple fact that it’s in New England brings the cost of living up big time. The cost of living is 14.5 percent higher than the national average. However, unemployment is relatively low at 2.7%. 

    The Minimum Salary You Need To Be Happy in Every State

    Can money buy happiness? According to a Purdue University study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, income can correlate with emotional well-being...

  • Connecticut: Minimum salary needed to be happy: $121,170

    Another New England state so the cost of living is higher. This salary may surprise you but you can actually maintain motional well-being at just $$69,240.  Is that enough? Maybe, maybe not. 

    Conn. named third happiest state in U.S.: Study

    Conn. (WTNH) - When choosing where you should live, happiness should certainly play a role. So, where do people find themselves most happy? All 50 states were analyzed on a Happiness Index Score in...

  • Vermont: Minimum salary needed to be happy: $122,220

    Yikes Vermont! Vermont has no business with this high salary…well, I guess the assumption of the state is “there’s nothing to do there.” Either way, unemployment is low, at just 2.6%.  But if you’re working, you better make a lot of money. 

    20 HONEST Pros & Cons of Living in Vermont (Let's Talk)

    Looking for the pros and cons of living in Vermont? This helpful local has you covered, here's what you need to know.

  • New York: Minimum salary needed to be happy: $142,485

    Wow! What kills me about this is that, you need to make more to be happy living in MA than New York. Unemployment in NY is relatively high right now at 4.3%.  If you ask any New Yorker, they’ll 100% agree with these findings. 

    NYC is one of the most expensive cities to be happy in the U.S.

    A new study from S Money found that New Yorkers would need to make over $140,000 annually to be happy here.

  • California: Minimum salary needed to be happy: $145,635

    California has an unbelievably high unemployment rate at 16.3%. Now don’t let this number fool you. Despite needing to make a lot of money to be happy, it appears that California is one of the happiest states in the country. 

    Californians are among the happiest people in the country. So why are they leaving the state?

    California lost a net of more than 114,000 residents during the last year and about 500,000 over the last three years.

  • Massachusetts: Minimum salary needed to be happy: $157,395

    This number is outrageous. The more shocking part is that MA is actually #2 in the entire country, only behind Hawaii. Despite this, MA keeps ranking one of if not the happiest state in the country.

    Massachusetts Ranked Happiest State in the Country

    Massachusetts is the happiest state in the country - at least according to a new study from the CBD Experts at Joy Organics. The research focused on 10 factors rated one out of 10 to determine the rankings - including suicide rates, average hourly wage, severity of depression and anxiety, unemployment rates, number of primary care and mental health providers,...

Born and raised at Country 1025. Carolyn is a concert-lovin’ country music fan. Plus, an avid New England sports fan. Count Kruser in for standup comedy, movies, and cosmos, but family is #1 for her. Wife, mother of 2- plus Zoey the dog, unpaid cook, cleaner and organizer of chaos. Kruser likes to write about country music, New England lifestyle and trending topics.
Author Carolyn Kruse
Category:
Tags:
,,

More Country 102.5

Load More