How much you should really give for a wishing well

We’ve all been in this situation.

The invitation says ‘gifts are not necessary’, but there will be a wishing well – so what they basically mean is ‘give us cash’.

With more and more couples living together before they tie the knot, they already have the cutlery set and champagne flutes you’d traditionally see on a gift register, so it’s become commonplace for couples to choose a wishing well instead.

But this trend begs the question – how much do we really put in?

Wendy Wedad from Wedded Wonderland says that it is really dependant on the event that you’re attending and the couple who are hosting it. And most importantly, how much you can afford.

However as a general guideline, she tells Be that depending on the couple, “you may find that you need to cover the cost of your attendance.”

“For instance, a wedding at a function centre would be $150 per head minimum, so it’s best to gift that per person.

“It’s also about the couples’ cost of living,” she said. “You think, ‘I’m attending this wedding, and they’ve spent this money'”.

Still not sure how much to give? Wendy has the perfect tip.

“Wait until you get to the wedding, have the card ready with some money in your wallet and see how much the couple may have spent,” she said. “Then go ahead and put what you feel is necessary.”

Many couples use their wishing well bounty to help pay for the wedding or for the honeymoon if they weren’t able to fit that in their wedding budget.

Wendy explained that the wishing well trend came into existence 15 years ago when the cost of a wedding became more expensive.

Now, 80 percent of weddings in Australia have a wishing well instead of a gift registry.

It’s also a cultural thing, and couples of different backgrounds may have different expectations when it comes to money. Some cultures find it extremely rude to ask for cash, while in others, it’s the norm.

As the bride and groom (or bride and bride, or groom and groom) who have chosen a wishing well, you may not want to include the wishing well card in the invitation for all your guests. If you feel uncomfortable about sending it to certain people, or know some guests will struggle to afford it, just leave it out.

“Don’t be afraid to pick and choose who to give a card about the wishing well to,” Wendy said. “Know your guest list and don’t send one to someone who may get offended.”

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