Verdicts
Is it tight to give cash instead of a wedding gift?

Am I being tight?Weddings and celebrationsFrom the Vouchernaut deskWednesday 11 November

Is it tight to give cash instead of a wedding gift?

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See it as it's framed

Our note

In YouGov's August 2026 wedding survey, 68% of Britons were happy for couples to ask for cash instead of gifts, while 23% objected. That measures attitudes to a couple's request, rather than what every couple wants. Cash gives a couple room to use a gift as they choose, especially when they have already set up a home. I would still look at any invitation or gift list first: a couple may have told guests exactly what would be welcome.

The amount can feel more awkward than the form of the gift. In YouGov's 2026 gift-spending results, the median respondent put the right spend for a close couple at £76 to £100, but 21% would not go above £50. For a less close couple, the median right amount was £26 to £50. These were opinions about suitable amounts, not records of actual spending. Starling Bank reported in May 2025 that guests at UK weddings had spent £108 on a gift on average in the preceding year. A personal present may still carry thought in a way an envelope does not. The relationship and the couple's own wishes give this choice its shape.