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Free Wedding Gift Calculator

Find out how much cash to put in the card or honeymoon fund for a 2026 UK (£) or US ($) wedding, tailored to how close you are to the couple, whether you are invited for the full day or evening, and what you are spending on travel.

2026 Etiquette Benchmarks

Your Wedding Details
1. Your relationship to the couple
2. Which part of the wedding are you invited to?
3. Who is covered by your gift?
4. Your travel & accommodation costs
5. Cultural gifting tradition (optional)
Suggested Cash Gift Range

£75 – £100

Comfortable middle: £90

Why this amount fits

This aligns with 2026 UK daytime wedding benchmarks for your relationship to the couple.

What to write in the card

“So thrilled to celebrate with you both today! Please put this towards a special dinner or excursion on your honeymoon.”

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2026 Gift Etiquette Benchmarks

How We Calculate Your Suggested Gift

Forget the outdated cover-your-plate myth. Modern wedding gift etiquette in both the United Kingdom and the United States comes down to four practical factors.

1. Closeness to the Couple
Your relationship sets the baseline: £50–£75 ($50–$75) for colleagues, £75–£100 ($100–$150) for good friends and relatives, and £100–£150+ ($150–$200+) for close friends and siblings.
2. Day vs Evening Invitation
British weddings commonly invite a second wave of guests for the evening reception. Evening-only guests typically give £25–£50 per person (£50–£75 as a couple).
3. Household Scaling (Couples & Families)
Two adults attending together do not need to double a single guest's figure. Giving around 1.5x the single baseline inside one joint card is the standard household norm.
4. Cultural & Travel Nuances
Overnight hotels and destination flights naturally reduce what is expected in the envelope. For Indian shagun gifts, toggle the +1 rule so your gift ends in an auspicious 1.

Frequently Asked Questions

2026 Wedding Gift Etiquette Q&A

How much money should you give for a wedding gift in the UK in 2026?

In 2026, most UK daytime wedding guests give between £50 and £150 per person, with £75 to £100 being the comfortable average for a good friend or relative. Evening-only guests typically give £25 to £50, while couples attending a full day together usually give £120 to £150 in a joint card.

How much cash should you give at a US wedding in 2026?

For US weddings in 2026, the standard cash gift ranges from $75 to $200 per guest. Coworkers and distant friends typically give $50 to $75, good friends and cousins give $100 to $150, and close friends or siblings give $150 to $200+.

Do couples attending together need to give double the wedding gift?

No. Two adults attending as a couple gift as a household rather than two separate individuals. A good rule of thumb is roughly 1.5 times the single-guest amount (for example, £120 to £150 in the UK or $150 to $225 in the US) inside a single card.

Should you give less if you are travelling or paying for a hotel?

Yes. When attending requires overnight hotel rooms, train fares, or flights, couples understand that your attendance already involves significant expense. Scaling your cash gift down by 15% to 20% for domestic overnight travel, or giving a modest £30 to £50 ($50 to $75) token gift for a destination wedding abroad, is widely accepted.

How do you give money as a wedding gift?

If the couple has set up an online honeymoon fund or cash registry on their wedding website, contributing digitally before the wedding day is the safest and easiest option. If you prefer giving physical cash, place crisp banknotes inside a handwritten wedding card and drop it into the venue's card box at the reception.

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