A modern wedding can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars once expenses such as:

Venue rental
Catering
Photography
Flowers
Entertainment
Travel
Decorations

are all included.

For many couples, cash gifts feel far more useful than traditional household items.

Instead of receiving duplicate kitchen appliances or decorative pieces, they may prefer money to help with:

Wedding costs
A honeymoon
A first home
Starting married life with less debt

From a practical point of view, the reasoning is understandable.

However, what makes sense financially does not always fit neatly with etiquette.

What Traditional Wedding Etiquette Says About Gifts

Traditionally, wedding gifts were never supposed to act as a “fee” for attending the celebration.

Wedding gifts have usually been seen as:

Voluntary
Personal
Symbolic gestures of love, support, and celebration

Classic etiquette suggests that guests should give whatever they sincerely feel comfortable offering, whether that is a physical present, money, or simply their presence and good wishes.