Wedding Gift: Asking for Money

Asking for money—is that even “allowed”? Yes! While two decades ago, household items were the ultimate wedding gift, these days it’s no longer at all unusual to ask for cash gifts for a wedding. Since today’s couples usually already live together and their household is already fully set up, they often ask for a financial contribution toward the wedding itself, the honeymoon, or their upcoming plans to start a family. To avoid being inundated with questions or unwanted gifts, it’s best to include the request for money in the invitation.

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How do you ask for money without it sounding weird?

Asking for money has become so commonplace by now that it really can’t come across as strange anymore. Theoretically, these days you could probably even write “give me all the money” in the invitation with a clear conscience without causing any misunderstanding—but out of politeness, of course, you’d still want to find a more tactful way of putting it. There are many options here. Pictograms are becoming increasingly popular, but a nice, short sentence is also often used. The impersonal rhymes from the internet, on the other hand, are really old-fashioned. If you need the money for the wedding itself, feel free to include your IBAN. This not only saves your guests the headache of coming up with creative ways to present their monetary gifts, but also spares you the trouble of smoothing out elaborately folded bills and the risky trip to the bank with €10,000 in cash in your pocket.

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How much money should you give as a wedding gift?

This is a question that people who’ve never been invited to a wedding tend to ask. Of course, it always depends on how close you are to the bride and groom. Parents and witnesses usually give a larger amount than Cousin XY. As a general rule, the approximate cost of what you’d spend on the wedding day is usually perfectly acceptable—that is, between 50 and 150 euros per person, depending on the exclusivity of the food and how much you’d drink.

Ideas for Monetary Gifts

If you’re not a fan of bank transfers but also don’t want to just give an envelope as a gift, you’re faced with the daunting task of turning the money into a creative gift. In some families and circles of friends, this turns into a real competition. There are so many ideas online that it’s very rare for the same money gift idea to be given more than once at a wedding. Whether folded, hung from a tree, attached to a picture frame, or buried in a bucket full of sand—there are no limits to creativity here.