Skip to content
New: meet Weddy, the best man who helps you plan it all, now in The Big Day

Free tool

Wedding gift calculator: how much should you give?

As a UK guide, a friend gives £50 to £90, a couple of friends £80 to £150 and close family £100 to £250. Four questions narrow it to your range. These are guides, never a scale: the right amount is the one that doesn’t put you in difficulty.

  • Free
  • No sign-up
  • Runs in your browser

How much to give

Your relationship to the couple
You’re coming
You’re invited to
How far you’re travelling
A guide for your situation

£80 to £150

A middle figure: £115

A guest costs the couple between £50 and £130 in food and drink. Some people give at least that (“covering your plate”), but nobody expects it.

What to know before you write the cheque

  • There is no rule: these are guides, never a scale.
  • The right amount is the one that doesn’t put you in difficulty.
  • A long journey counts: couples know what a flight and a hotel night cost.
  • The card that goes with the gift matters more than the amount.

How to give

An envelope
Cash or a cheque, with a handwritten card. Hand it to the best man or drop it in the card box.
An online fund
Handy when you live far away. Check the platform’s fees.
A gift
Choose from the registry if there is one, otherwise something that feels like them.

And for your own wedding?

Your guests will wonder the same thing, and everything else: the time, the address, what to wear. Put it on a page, and you stop answering the phone.

Create your page, it’s free

Did this help? Pass it on to a friend who’s getting married.

Pin on PinterestSend on WhatsApp

The maths, plainly

Key takeaways

£50 to £90the most common guide for a friend invited on their own, to the meal and the evening. A couple of friends often gives £80 to £150.

  • The calculator gives a wedding gift range from four things: your relationship to the couple, how many of you are coming, what you’re invited to and how far you travelled.
  • Guides for one person: £30 to £60 for a colleague, £50 to £90 for a friend, £80 to £130 for a close friend or cousin, £100 to £250 for close family.
  • A guest costs the couple between £50 and £130 in food and drink: some people try to “cover their plate”, though nobody should expect it.

How it’s worked out

  1. 01A starting guide for each relationship, for one person and for a couple. These ranges come from what couples and guests say they receive and give; they are not a scale.
  2. 02A family with children counts 15% more than a couple.
  3. 03A long journey (train, a night in a hotel) takes off 10%, and travelling far (a flight, several nights) takes off 25%: couples know what travel costs.
  4. 04A drinks reception on its own follows a separate range: £15 to £40 for one person, £25 to £60 for a couple.
  5. 05Amounts are rounded to the nearest 5. It runs in your browser: nothing is sent.

Frequently asked questions

The questions people actually ask

How much should you give as a wedding gift?
As a guide, £50 to £90 per person for a friend, and £80 to £150 for a couple. It’s only an order of magnitude: it depends on how close you are, your budget and how far you travelled.
Is there a minimum amount?
No. There is no rule and no scale: many students and young professionals give less, and nobody notices. What couples remember is the card that comes with the gift.
How much if you’re only invited to the drinks reception?
Less than for the meal: £15 to £40 per person is a common guide. A small gift or just a note is also perfectly fine.
What does “covering your plate” mean?
Giving at least what your attendance costs the couple, between £50 and £130 per guest in food and drink. Some people follow it as a guide; nobody should expect it.

Another question? The team reads everything and replies personally. Write to us

The blog

Go further

The guides that go with this tool.

Guests6 min

How much should you give as a wedding gift in the UK?

There is no rule, only guides. Depending on your relationship, how many of you are coming and how far you’ve travelled, here are the ranges you hear most, and how to give without getting it wrong.

On the day, your guests won’t read your spreadsheet

What they look for is the time, the address, where to park and which table they’re on. Your wedding page tells them, and keeps itself up to date.

Create your pageSee an example

Free, no card needed.