"I Worried I'd Be Criticized for Giving 50,000 Won"... Cash-Gift Customs Differ by Country

Average Meal Price at Seoul Wedding Venues Hits 80,000 Won, Up 3.9% Year Over Year
Japan's Standard Cash Gift Is "30,000 Yen"... Around 65 Guests
U.S. Couples Use Gift Registries... Cash Gifts Also on the Rise in Recent Years

The average cash gift given by wedding guests has risen to around 110,000 won. Recently, meal prices at wedding venues have climbed sharply, particularly in the Seoul metropolitan area, increasing the burden on guests. Guests are also divided over whether they should give enough to cover the cost of their meal.

How people express their congratulations and share the costs of a wedding varies from country to country. In Japan, guests give 30,000 yen (about 250,000 won) and receive a return gift, while in the United States, they give items from a registry of things the couple needs. Customs surrounding cash gifts and wedding presents differ widely.

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Median Meal Price at Seoul Wedding Venues Hits 80,000 Won, Up 3.9% in a Year

According to Champrice, the Korea Consumer Agency's comprehensive price information portal, the average contract price for wedding services nationwide was 22.13 million won as of September this year. Food costs totaled 13.58 million won, accounting for 61.4% of the total. The median meal price at wedding venues in Seoul was 80,000 won, up 3.9% from 77,000 won a year earlier. By contrast, the nationwide median remained unchanged at 60,000 won, highlighting the sharper rise in wedding costs in the Seoul metropolitan area.

As wedding costs rise, guests are also feeling a greater burden from cash gifts. According to a report by NH NongHyup Bank analyzing 5.33 million cash-gift transfers, the average cash gift last year was 117,000 won.

The average rose from 110,000 won in 2023 to 114,000 won in 2024, and increased again last year. The share of guests who gave 50,000 won fell from 46.5% in 2023 to 42.3% last year. By contrast, the share who gave 100,000 won rose from 36.1% to 39.7% over the same period.

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Cash Gifts of 30,000 Yen in Japan... Around 65 Guests

Cash gifts at weddings in Japan tend to be larger than those in Korea. Based on banks' customary cash-gift guidelines, guests commonly give 30,000 yen (about 250,000 won) at the wedding of a friend or colleague, and 50,000 to 60,000 yen at the wedding of a sibling or relative.

However, the average number of guests is around 65, fewer than in Korea. It is common to send invitations and then confirm attendance before finalizing the guest list.

Japanese weddings often serve French cuisine or traditional Japanese course meals rather than buffets. Guests may also receive return gifts worth up to 10,000 yen (about 100,000 won). These gifts are called "hikidemono." There is also a custom called "hangaeshi," in which the couple gives back a gift worth about half the amount received, with larger cash gifts prompting more valuable return gifts. A longstanding custom is to avoid even-numbered cash gifts, which can be divided into two.

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Celebrating with Gift Registries in the U.S.... Cash Gifts Are Also Becoming More Common

In the United States, couples create and share a list of gifts they want, a custom known as a "wedding registry." Guests consult the list and give the couple items they need. A survey of 1,000 wedding guests by The Knot, a wedding information company, found that they spent an average of $150 (about 200,000 won) on wedding gifts in 2024. More recently, however, as rising housing costs have made it harder for newlyweds to afford a home, more couples have been asking for cash gifts.

The criteria for deciding how much to give also differ from those in Korea. The Emily Post Institute, a U.S. etiquette organization, describes the belief that guests should give enough to cover the cost of their meal as a "modern myth." Instead, it recommends that guests choose an amount based on their financial circumstances and their relationship with the couple.

In Korea, meal costs and the amount previously given to one another are major factors in determining how much to give. Meals at hotel weddings cost 120,000 to 180,000 won per person, while cash gifts tend to range from 50,000 to 100,000 won. Some analysts say that this can increase the couple's financial burden as the number of guests grows.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.