Cash Gifts?

I think that a lot will depend on the reason for the gift in the first place, and also who the gift is from. As a Christmas Gift then unless it is to go towards a specific purpose then no I don't think cash is right, (in fact I don't think it is right to ask for cash at all)- How would you feel if I asked you for a cash gift - pretty uncomfortable I would guess. Between relatives it may be possible, but not for any one else. Gift tokes may of course be acceptable to everyone, both for giving or receiving. Even if it is for a wedding or engagement present, I am not sure if cash would be suitable. Cash also shows a complete lack of imagination, whereas gift vouchers could allow the best of both worlds.

hi i think it's a bad idea to ask for it on the invitie (it might imply - hey i'm inviting u so i get some cash.. u knw what i mean ?) .. but it is not bad to ask verbally esp w/t close friends/relatives. why not ? cash is the best gift coz u can then buy what u actually want.

i think if you must ask for cash gifts it should be done by word of mouth. i hate when people tell me what to give them. i think picking out a present makes it personal instead of just handing over some cash.

If I am invited to a wedding, I always ask the couple if the would like anything in particular as I would hate to give them something that they do not need or already have. If they would prefer cash, then I would definitley like them to say so. Much better to give cash than to give gifts that might not be to the couples taste.

I used to work in a weddings forum, years back, and according to "etiquette," a gift should never be requested or even suggested, especially not on the invitation. The invitation is for a person's presence at an event (whether it's a wedding, party, what have you). We are never supposed to presume that we will receive a gift when someone accepts that invitation. Having said that, I've been asked to donate cash towards a group gift and wasn't offended. I've also contacted family members to ask what a bride and groom would like. If they come out and say "cash," then I'll generally give it. In the course of my work, the most-cited reason I was given for people not wanting to give cash or being offended when asked for a cash gift, is that the recipient always knows exactly what you gave. If you go out and buy a gift and wrap it up, you might have gotten it on sale and purchased something worth a much higher value than the cash you would have been able to put in a card. People are uncomfortable being made to look "cheap" and, for some, a cash gift will result in exactly that. Not sure if this helps... just based on my experience :D

When did that on our wedding. In our invitation, there was an extra little card for it. It didn't specifically said that we required cash gifts but we explained why cash was more practical. We got married here in the Philippines and we were going to Canada soon after the wedding so we thought it was practical to receive cash rather than big bulky stuff than we cant even bring with us from Philippines to Canada. My parents as well didn't want us to leave all of our wedding gifts with them just because we cant bring it with us. It was meant us a gift to start our married life right? A Cash is just the same reasons as well. Most people agreed to it that it was much better that way because it saves them the trouble to shop for something which the couples dont particularly need anyway, or shop something we cant bring with us. Some people reacted differently at first to it especially my relatives which were old fashioned. They thought, like some replies here, that it was rude to even openly ask for money as a gift. We didnt really. It actually said something like: "Since we will be leaving for Canada soon after the wedding, we would very much appreciate that any heartfelt amount you wish to buy your gift with will be our wedding present. We hope you will find our request a sensible and practical way of giving. Even so, your presence is still the most valuable gift for us on our special day" We received mostly cash in chinese money paper and some gifts which we can carry with us to Canada like albums and wedding frames. To us it went smoothly and everybody seemed to realized at the end how practical indeed it was for most couples nowadays.

I have seen this on wedding invitations , they stated cash gifts would be greatly appreciated,i think it is rude doing this,one might think that there gift isnt appeciated,but also i can see their point a view ,recieveing all the un needed and un wanted gifts.i do give cash gifts,i believe they can get what they want then.

I think I would rather someone tell me than I give them something they don't want or need ,I agree though much nicer by mouth xx

I think people who give cash gifts forgot to get a present so they whipped out their wallet! Yeah I think it's bad manners.

The only way I would say that is cool is if they had been living together and they had a lot of the basic things already. It would let them put the money towards furniture or something big they needed. First time marriages and not living together, I would say it is rude.

I dont think itd bad. But it woulf be better to ask for a gift card. Give some suggestions, and if those fail, then a gift card to that same store that suggestions were given from would be a nice gesture

Actually, that is a practice that's becoming more and more prevalent these days. Times are changing and the days when couples married straight out of their parents homes and needing specific gifts to start a household are long gone. Today, most couples that are marrying have already established their homes and are just combining two or are already living with their future spouse. The money gift tradition that I've seen with increasing frequency at weddings is the set up of a Money Tree. This is an excellent way of paring down on unwanted gifts and allowing people to give something without having to spend so much time trying to find the perfect gift. Here are a few examples. http://partyoptions.net/wedding/money_tree.htm http://www.moneytreegift.com/moneytrees/wedding.htm

Its ok that Charity begins at Home but it hardly meant that one should ask for it while in written or orally. It hurts to the Person in many senses. Begging is always condemned in Society.Its the Persons wish what he wan gift cash r of his choice.

Is this for a wedding gift? If it was a second marriage or if the couple had already been living together they would have most things so cash would be a great idea so then they could buy what they really needed. So yes, i would add it to my wedding gift list, I would also add vouchers.

I think it's bad to request cash unless it's someone you are close to who will understand. I have certain friends that if I needed cash more than objects for a holiday or something, they wouldn't mind. But others would be quite offended.

This really is a tough one. I certainly don't believe a cash gift request should be indicated on the invitation. It is like asking people to pay for their attendance at the wedding. When I married my second husband I married into a large family with little money. We got gifts, we got cash, we got one family that took up a collection and then put the money towards a department store gift certificate. That was great. The money we got? $20. Does that not look cheap to you? If you can get a $40 item for $20 you are going to look better than sticking a twenty dollar bill in an envelope. And if I could only afford $20, then I would see if someone would go in on a gift with me. I think gift registries are a great idea. However, my niece got married in the U.S. while I am in Canada. I could not purchase anything on her gift registry. Instead, at the last minute, I asked my father (who was making the trip to the wedding where I could not) to put $50 US in a card and sign it for us. The sad part is I had to ask my father to add that amount (plus the card and exchange = $60) to the loan I owe him. I couldn't even pay for it. I couldn't afford to go to the wedding. There used to be a day when a person (or couple) was invited to a wedding but could not attend, they would still send a wedding gift. Nowadays if someone can't attend they don't bother with a gift either. No matter how you look at it, manners are slipping by the wayside. But then, money is really tight for everyone. But then again, what about these couples that decide to get married at some tropical location and expect everyone to fly down there? If they can afford to make that kind of a trip to have their wedding, they don't need any wedding presents. Since you posed the question, how much do you spend on a wedding gift?

My friend and her partner are getting married in April and they have suggested that people buy them vouchers for furniture type stores such as 'ikea' and 'argos' so that they are able to get things for the new house.