How much should a UK wedding gift be? Typical per-guest amounts sit between £80 and £150, with close family and the wedding party comfortably above that. The calculator below turns your relationship, the wedding level, your attendance and a plus-one into a concrete amount in GBP.
The question of the right amount is one of the few that almost nobody talks about openly. Still, everyone wants to know it before they write the card. The most common mistake is not the wrong number but a random one, a round figure with no connection to your relationship or to the wedding you have been invited to.
This page gives you an honest reference point. The calculator delivers a concrete range, the guide explains how the recommendation is built, and at the end you find card templates and the five most common mistakes to avoid.
Your inputs
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Suggested gift rangeSuggested range based on UK norms (Bridebook 2026, Hitched 2026). Adjust up or down on your gut. There is no right answer, only an honest range.
I have been asked this question regularly for over ten years, often just before the invitation lands. The answer varies more than most people think. It depends not only on your relationship to the couple but also on the type of wedding, your region, and whether you come solo or as a couple. The calculator above gives you an honest ballpark. The personal touch comes from the card you put with it.
Imogen Whitaker
How much is typical in the UK
In the UK, Bridebook 2026 reports that wedding-gift averages sit around £100 per guest, with the spread running from £40 at the lower end to £300 or more for close family and wedding-party members. Hitched data confirms the £80 to £150 band as the most common for friends and extended family. Cash gifts dominate over physical items, especially when the couple already lives together. 2
How the calculator builds its recommendation
The calculator works in five steps. It sets a base range by relationship, applies a wedding-level multiplier (simple, mid, high-end), adjusts for your attendance (full day, ceremony plus wedding breakfast, evening only), accounts for a plus-one at 1.6x rather than 2x, and rounds to a clean multiple of £5. 3
Relationship: the biggest single lever
No factor moves the amount more than your relationship to the couple. Close family £150 to £350, best friends and wedding-party £130 to £255, good friends £70 to £130, coworkers £45 to £85, acquaintances £35 to £70. Close family sits higher because the gift is often understood as a contribution to the shared start, while for coworkers it is more about a respectful gesture. 4
Wedding level and region: a real factor
A realistic gift also tracks what the couple spends per guest. At London or country-estate weddings the per-guest cost often hits £200 to £300. At smaller venues and rural weddings it sits closer to £80 to £150. A loose consumer rule of thumb says the gift should roughly cover your own plate, without becoming an obligation. 5
Full day or evening only?
UK invitations often split into the wedding breakfast (smaller, often family and closest friends) and the evening reception. Day guest, full attendance: full amount. Evening only: about 50 to 60 percent of the full-day amount, since you are not part of the catering plate count. Civil ceremony with closest circle: a small thoughtful amount plus a hand-written card. 1
Plus-one and joint gifts
A common question: does the amount double when you bring a plus-one? Not quite. Standard is about 1.6x of the solo amount. The reasoning is that two plates and two seats are involved, but one shared relationship and one card. If only one of you knows the couple well, lean toward the lower end. If both of you are close, lean higher. 2
Cash, registry, or honeymoon fund?
In the UK cash gifts and honeymoon funds have largely replaced traditional gift lists, especially for couples already living together. Roughly two-thirds of UK weddings now include a cash or honeymoon contribution option, with John Lewis Honeymoon Wallet and Prezola among the most-used services. If the couple registered, prioritise the list. If they listed a fund, contribute there. 3
How to present the gift
A bare note in a card rarely lands well. Three formats look intentional without taking effort: a quality envelope tucked inside the card; smaller notes folded into a small origami shape inside the card; or a contribution to the honeymoon fund online with a printed confirmation slipped into the card. Whichever you pick, the card matters more than the wrapping. Three honest sentences beat any foil envelope. 4
What to write in the card
Three short templates that work without changes. Classic and warm: "Dear [names], we are so glad to share this day with you. May your life together be full of laughter, trust and small everyday wonders." Short and kind: "Dear [names], thank you for having us. To everything ahead of you, with our love." With a wink: "Dear [names], instead of a long speech we went with the version that includes numbers. Enjoy the day and the trip that follows." 5
Five common mistakes
Picking the round number rather than the right one. Forgetting the card. Brand-new ATM notes that feel impersonal. Losing the envelope in the gift pile by not labelling it on the outside. Ignoring an explicit no-gifts request: when they mean it, a small thoughtful symbolic item and a hand-written card is the right answer, not a thick envelope. 1
When is it too little, when is it too much?
An honest lower bound: under £40 per adult feels like you did not think about it, with exceptions for students or temporary tight situations (best paired with a sincere card). There is no real upper bound, but in close family and tight friend groups it makes sense to coordinate so nobody feels pressured. A wedding gift expresses the relationship, not a competition. 2
My most important tip after all the weddings I have helped with: the couple rarely remembers the exact figure later, but almost always remembers the gesture and the card. One honest line about why their wedding matters to you is worth more than £20 extra in the envelope. Keep it short. Three sentences that say why you are glad they got married land on the pinboard for years.
Imogen Whitaker
If you are also asked to speak as best man, maid of honour or close family, our AI Wedding Speech Generator helps you draft a first version in minutes that you then sharpen in your own voice.
The bottom line
How much you give at a wedding depends on more than your relationship to the couple. Region, wedding level, your own situation, and whether you come solo or as a pair all shift the right amount. The calculator above puts all of that into an honest recommendation in GBP that fits most occasions.
The card decides the rest. Three honest sentences about the couple weigh more than £20 extra in the envelope. Anyone who keeps that in mind rarely gives the wrong thing.
Sources
- Bridebook(bridebook.com)
- Hitched(hitched.co.uk)
- GuidesForBrides(guidesforbrides.co.uk)
- Prezola(prezola.com)
- Times Money Mentor(thetimes.co.uk)