My husband and I have been invited to my colleagues son's wedding in South Carolina. Though they attended our sons wedding, we arent attending this affair because of other obligations. I would like to know if we are supposed to give the same amount of money to their son as they gave to ours.
- Cathy
Ah, wedding season: a time to rejoice and attend celebrations. Unfortunately, it can also be a time to sweat over invitations, gifts, and obligations.
People often have mixed feelings about being invited to far-away weddings. Some people love to go away to weddings, while others feel that they are being invited with the expectation that they won't attend but will send a gift.
There is no hard and fast rule for wedding gifts, but generally the value of the gift depends on how close you are to the couple -- as well as how much you can afford to give. In this case, if you can afford to give the same amount of money to your colleague's son that she gave to your son, then by all means do so. If you don't feel comfortable sending a check or if you can't be as financially generous as your colleague was, find out if the couple is registered (ask your colleague) and send something from their registry -- you can often do this online in one easy step. Don't worry about the value of the gift too much. The happy couple will receive many gifts and will appreciate all of them, and they probably won't be comparing notes with their parents about the exact dollar value of their loot.
According to the wedding experts, you have up until a year after the wedding to send a gift. For more tips on how to be a good wedding guest, take a look at this Wedding Guest Etiquette Guide.
