A wedding goes off at a peak. Spain is at the head of the countries where it is more expensive to get married, together with the United Kingdom and Italy, with the average cost of a wedding reaching 21,000 euros. In countries like France, Portugal or Canada the cost of this event is around 16,000.
This figure shows the importance given to this event in Spain, turning these celebrations into a complex event to organize and where it is necessary to take care of every detail to be successful and for the couple and guests to live an unforgettable moment. Hence, more and more people hire the services of wedding planners, with the additional cost that this entails.
Precisely the sector of social events is expanding and is currently generating employment. It moves millions of euros and is demanding well-trained profiles. His future is rosy, especially that of the organization of weddings. According to the Bodas Z study: a social analysis of the preferences of the younger generation, the products and services demanded by the younger generations between 18 and 28 years of age for their wedding celebrations do not stray from the traditional celebration scheme.
Focusing on the issue of gifts, the study reveals that 47% of those surveyed prefer to open a checking account so that guests can pay them money, 38.4% want to make a wedding list with everything they need to furnish their home , 11.4% would prepare a fictitious wedding list in a department store to later use that budget on the honeymoon trip and, lastly, 3.2% would donate the money to a charitable cause.
The high spending of the bride and groom on the event is important because it is related to the "pressure" felt by the guests at a wedding to rise to the occasion and make a gift commensurate with the financial effort of the bride and groom.
Applying the criterion of reciprocity and respecting the rule of courtesy is essential. This implies maintaining the expected etiquette and, depending on the degree of relationship with the spouses and the place and characteristics of the celebration, providing a gift commensurate with the outlay that it has entailed. But also at the height of the personal relationship that unites them.
Of course, the circumstances of the guests do not always allow them to give the gift that the bride and groom deserve. And this may lead them to decline the invitation. In these cases, it is appropriate to be honest and frankly explain the circumstances to the couple.
To make matters worse, there are vital periods in which weddings multiply and, when several weddings a year accumulate, it can be very expensive for the guests. On many occasions, some guests are selective when it comes to choosing which one to go to and decline attendance at those celebrations in which the relationship with the couple is not very close.
But in those that are attended, how to calculate how much money should be given to the couple? It all depends on the context of the relationship with them, the degree of kinship or relationship and the background:
When it comes to a wedding in which we have a very close relationship with the spouses, we must be more generous. But neither should we lose sight of the principle of reciprocity if we got married before and they gave us gifts, to get closer to similar figures.
It is also important to take into consideration the formality of the event and the place where the wedding is held, as well as the effort we must make to attend the celebration. For example, when it is necessary to travel to another city and wear a specific suit. In any case, it is imperative to be honest and not lie or pretend. It is understood that if we have been invited to a wedding it is because there is mutual appreciation and the important thing is not the gift, but sharing such a special moment.
On average, the contribution per guest in Spain is usually around 260 euros. Sometimes, the bride and groom prefer to be given goods instead of money. Traditionally, this alternative has the objective of providing what is needed when one begins to live as a couple in the family home. But nowadays, most couples live together before their marriage, so it makes more sense to contribute money than goods.
Article originally published on The Conversation. Sonia Aránzazu Ferruz González is a professor and researcher in Communication at UNIR, International University of La Rioja.
