Cash Wedding Gift Calculator (2026)
How much cash should you give at a wedding? Pick your relationship to the couple, whether you are attending, and the venue tier, and get a suggested range — guidance, not a rule.
Calculate Your Suggested Cash Gift
Not attending? Etiquette guides suggest about half the attending amount.
A plus-one adds $50 to each end of the range.
Fancier venues raise the range; modest venues lower it.
This is a suggestion based on published wedding etiquette ranges, not a rule. The right amount is the one that feels generous to you and fits your budget — no couple expects a gift that strains your finances. Emily Post notes there is no official minimum, and the old “cover your plate” idea is a myth, not an obligation.
How the Suggested Range Is Calculated
Published etiquette guides agree on the shape of wedding gift amounts even when they differ on exact dollars: closer relationships give more, fancier weddings nudge amounts up, and guests who cannot attend give less. This calculator turns those patterns into a range.
- Base range by relationship: close family $200–$300, extended family $150–$200, close friend $100–$150, friend $75–$125, coworker or acquaintance $50–$100. These sit inside the ranges published by The Knot, Zola, Brides and Emily Post guidance.
- Venue multiplier: budget 0.85, standard 1.0, upscale 1.25, luxury 1.5. A luxury venue roughly doubles the “cover your plate” cost of a modest one, so the range moves with it.
- Not attending: the range is halved. Guides consistently suggest $50–$100 for close guests who cannot attend, and a card alone is fine for distant connections.
- Plus-one: adds $50 to each end of the range, since the couple is hosting two people. Doubling the gift is not expected — a modest bump is the norm.
- Rounding: both ends are rounded to the nearest $25, because nobody gives $127.50 in a card.
Adjusted = base × venue multiplier × attendance factor (1.0 attending, 0.5 not attending)
Final range = round to nearest $25 of (adjusted + $50 per end if plus-one)
Worked Example: Close Friend, Attending, Standard Venue
| Step | Calculation | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Base range (close friend) | Published etiquette range | $100 – $150 |
| Venue multiplier (standard) | × 1.0 | $100 – $150 |
| Attending in person | × 1.0 | $100 – $150 |
| Plus-one | None | $100 – $150 |
| Suggested gift | Rounded to nearest $25 | $100 – $150 |
Change one input and the answer moves sensibly: the same close friend at an upscale venue gets $125–$200, not attending drops it to $50–$75, and bringing a plus-one to the standard wedding raises it to $150–$200.
