How much to spend on a wedding gift
(20 July 2007)

The wedding season is upon us and people will be racking their brains to think of the ideal present for the happy couple, agonising over how much they should spend. Abbey has produced a guide to answer that all-important question, revealing that Brits spend £6.7 billion a year on wedding gifts.

The research shows that the average gift is worth £43 but people are prepared to spend an average of £70 on siblings and other close family members.

For an acquaintance, colleague or that relation you had never even heard of before receiving the wedding invitation, you only need to fork out £23. People are more generous when it comes to buying gifts for friends, spending an average of £34.

Dispelling the myth of the 'thrifty' Scot, it turns out that Scottish people spend an average of £49.13 on wedding gifts.

Steve Shore, head of banking at Abbey, said: "What to spend on a wedding gift is almost as tricky as finding an item to buy on the wedding list, so hopefully with our guide we can remove some of the potential embarrassment and worry by showing how much to spend and on whom."