To avoid appearing stingy or excessive, there is a fair amount to offer for a wedding, but you still need to know it.
How much to give for a wedding without appearing stingy… or too generous? Every season, the same question comes up, as seemingly simple as it is terribly embarrassing. In front of the wedding urn, guests often hesitate about the amount to put in the envelope. Between the customs to be respected in certain cultures, everyone’s budgets and the expectations of the bride and groom, finding the right amount remains a real headache. Give too little? We fear disappointing. Give too much? We take the risk of putting ourselves in the red. It’s a certain pressure that weighs on every guest, whether it’s the first wedding or the fifth of the season. And in fact, the specialized site Mariage.net looked into the subject by carrying out a large study.
To get a precise idea of the amount to offer when you are invited, depending on your situation, the experts interviewed 1,300 people. What emerges from the investigation is that: “Physical gifts seem less and less appropriate since 6 out of 10 couples already have a child and therefore share equipped accommodation before even getting married. Consequently, 91% prefer to receive a sum of money, which they can use according to their own priorities and needs,” can we read in the press release published on May 6.
Concerning the amount, couples have a strong opinion on the question: “more than half of couples expect to receive less than 100 euros per person. (…) Especially since 54% think that this sum should reimburse at least part of the wedding expenses.” Is this fair? The Mariage.net site has developed a simulator to carry out the calculation. For example, for a person invited to the wedding of a very good friend, who comes accompanied but without children, has a long journey and must find accommodation on site, the ideal range is between 100 and 200 euros. If it’s your best friend’s wedding, if you’re coming as a family from far away and sleeping there, count on between 200 and 300 euros. On the other hand, if it is a simple acquaintance, and you are only attending the reception with a guest, the range is less than 100 euros.
To establish these figures, the site relied on the average cost of a wedding in France in 2024: 19,921 euros, or approximately 205 euros spent per guest. In France in general, this amount serves as a basis for setting the amount to be offered, because it includes the price of the meal. But other criteria also come into play: your relationship with the bride and groom, if you come alone or as a couple, with or without children…
“Generally, we consider that the right price to pay corresponds more or less to the caterer’s price per head, namely approximately 70 euros. tells us Mathilde, who got married last year. His guests, when they were a couple, mostly spent 120 to 150 euros. The most generous between 200 and 300 euros, and single people around 60 to 70 euros.
