Two friends of mine at work are getting married. I talk to them almost daily at work but we don't hang out on the weekends or go to dinner. I usually give family friends a 100 bucks and more for my inner circle of friends depending on various factors. Sometimes I give more if I know they may have some struggles ahead with buying a house, parents don't like who they are marrying so they are not helping them out, couple is paying for the wedding themselves, etc. Anyhow, is $50 too little to give for my wife and I to attend? Is $75 an odd amount to give?
Are you Asian? Didn't know of any other cultures that give money for a wedding. Anyway, I think $50 bucks is okay. I don't think $75 is odd either. If it's in an expensive restaurant I'll give more to make sure they cover the meal and then some. Write a check so the amount won't be weird, like 3 $20s, a $10, and a $5.
Since office romances never work, they'll probably be divorced in a few months. You're better off not getting them anything...
nothing is too little. my philosphy is if you're getting married, you should be able to pay for it. being asian, we have these stupid wedding dinners all the time. they invite us, yet expect us to pony up $50-$100 to go. screw that. the only reason i go sometimes is b/c my parents thinks it makes us look good. and when the time comes for me to get married they'll return the favor. uh, i won't be inviting them b/c i don't even know them. sorry man, didn't mean to go off about it.
I think he's talking strictly about a monetary gift, not helping to pay for the actual wedding. $50 should be fine, I'd think. We got a few $50 checks for our wedding and loved them all.
yea, i kind of jumped the gun a bit with my post. if they're really close friends, it's a great gesture. but if it's just acquantances, eh, forget about it.
Varies, depending on whether the coworker in question is your boss, your equal, or your underling Seriously, $50 (or more) for close friends.. anyone else, I don't bother. I'm Asian, too, so that's harder than it sounds. Skin requires some degree of thickness - if I'm not feeling up to it, I skip the wedding altogether
I work in a group of 8 and we would chip in 10 per and buy 1 gift. Anything higher better yield return on investment.
Depending how close you are, I see nothing wrong with $25 - $50...If they're registered somewhere, just pick a couple of things that land in the middle...If its cash, well, $50...
It depends on how much you know them, and how much you frequent with them off work. If a good friend is getting married, I would do $25-50. If it is just ANYONE, I would do <25... even NOTHING. Yeah... I'm a cheapskate like that, but I have a family, too.
I try to base my gifts on how well I like the person the better I like you the more you will get even if your wedding/reception sucks.. If I'm not a huge fan of a person I look at the wedding/reception places, if they look to be nice with an open bar I'll shell out the good gifts, now if they are having a cash bar at the local hotel they arent going to be getting very much from me.. That's how I've always done it, but I think I'm different than most..
So when someone announces they're getting married and you're invited, is your first question always "Open or cash bar?" Because if so, you're my hero. I had a coworker who not only had a wedding but an engagement party. So I was expected to give twice. That sucked.
Aren't they gainfully employed? It's up to you. Whatever amount you think would be most thoughtful, without looking like you really want a puppy dog type friend outta nowhere brown nosing you or mistaking thoughtfulness for a cry for a buddy... make sense?
so in general do white Americans never give cash as gifts. i ask this because people seem to think it is odd for Asians and Indians to give cash
When I get married, I want cash... Never even thought about it before. Usually if I or my parents are invited to a wedding, we buy crystal champagne glasses or a nice blender or whatever else we find on Target gift registry. Now that I know some people give cash for a wedding, I can buy my own blender...
I would give substantially more than $100 if the person is a coworker, in hopes of currying political favor around the office. $100 is chump change when the person's glowing review of you could lead to a much higher bonus at year end. Buying influence around the office is critical. That's why I always go in huge when the secretaries bring their kids' fundraiser sale items to work. I bought 10 packages of macadamia nuts from my immediate superior's secretary. I don't even eat macadamia nuts. But then again, The_Conquistador makes more money than he can spend.
Americans don't think its odd for Asians or Indians to give cash. Many of my friends are Asian and do the cash thing for weddings and I understand that's just the tradition for those cultures. Its just traditionally, Americans don't give cash to non-relatives for weddings. My vote is something that's around $50 off the registery if they have one. I like gift registeries, especially if I can buy the gift online and the store ships right to the couple.
