Money Minute: It costs how much to attend a wedding?

There’s nuance to attending a wedding even if you’re not standing up.

Pick through the wedding section at a your neighbourhood bookstore and you’ll find shelves upon shelves with titles like How to Be A Best Man and Bridal Showers for Dummies (okay we took a swing at that second one but it seems like a safe bet).

But there’s one element that always seems to elude exemplification – just how much to spend.

In the good ol’ days, for a cash gift you could expect to give $100 bucks a head but what’ll that get you in today’s economy? If it’s a close friend, slipping a couple crisp hundreds in there or at least $150 is more fitting these days. To put it plainly, if you plan on giving cash and have a big family you might want to consider leaving the kids at home and frugally minded (read: cheap) bachelors and bachelorettes might want to skip over bringing a date. If it's a distant friend or coworker, $75 to $100 is more than enough.

But don’t forget that you’re invited because you’re loved. The bride and groom may go all out but you’re not expected to pay for your experience, only give what you’re comfortable with.

As for the other costs like travel and spending a bit to make sure you’re looking good, Yahoo Canada Finance’s Ashleigh Patterson breaks down the costs.