On August 27, the marriage information company Gayeon announced survey results showing that the appropriate wedding gift amount people consider when attending a friend’s wedding in person differs substantially between unmarried and married respondents.
Unmarried respondents suggested an average of 13만원, while married respondents suggested an average of 29만원.
Even for the same “appropriate amount,” who the recipient is, what the relationship is, and whether someone attends together have become as important as the number itself.
3-line summary
1. The appropriate wedding gift amount differed depending on marital status.
2. It was 13만원 for unmarried respondents and 29만원 for married respondents.
3. The relationship and source of funds matter more than the average.
Unmarried respondents considered closeness, while married respondents also considered amounts exchanged
According to a Yonhap News TV report, Gayeon surveyed 506 unmarried people and 502 married people aged 25–39, for a total of 1,008 (1008) respondents, from August 4 to 11. When attending a friend’s wedding in person, the appropriate wedding gift amount was an average of 13만원 among unmarried respondents and 29만원 among married respondents. These were not amounts “everyone should pay,” but the average appropriate levels considered by respondents.
The criteria for determining the amount also differed. Among unmarried respondents, 76.7% selected their closeness to the bride and groom and the length of time they had known them as the most important factors. Among married respondents, intimacy and the relationship ranked highest at 70.7%, while 60.6% said they considered the wedding gift the other person had given at their own wedding. The share who considered whether they were accompanied was 39.2%.
It is difficult to explain the higher average among married people with a single number. Gayeon cited the experience of having held a wedding, the experience of giving and receiving wedding gifts in the past, and attending as a couple as contextual factors. The most noteworthy point in this survey is not the difference between 13만원 and 29만원, but that both groups ultimately considered the relationship first.
Rising meal costs do not automatically determine an individual’s standard
A Wikitrree report, citing Kakao Pay’s “2025 Money Report,” stated that the average transfer amount sent in wedding-gift envelopes exceeded 10만원 for the first time last year. Compared with the level of approximately 5만원 in 2019, this was roughly twice as high in about five years.
Wedding costs are also mentioned as a factor increasing the burden of wedding gifts. According to the same report, the average wedding cost was 2,159만원 (2159만원), based on the Korea Consumer Agency’s price information portal Champrice, and meals accounted for 61.6%. However, the fact that venue costs or meal prices have risen does not automatically determine the wedding gift amount for an individual guest.
In the survey, 6.5% of unmarried respondents selected meal costs and the wedding venue as important criteria. This can be read as meaning that conditions differing from person to person—such as the depth of the relationship, the number of attendees, and amounts previously given and received—come before the average.
When the money is for a newlywed home, it matters whose guest gave it
When wedding gifts are used to help purchase a home or repay a loan, the source of the funds may become more important than the amount. MoneyToday reported that gift tax is not imposed on wedding gifts at a customary level, but that a gift-tax issue may arise when wedding gifts paid by guests of the parents hosting the wedding are used to acquire assets for the son or daughter and their spouse.
Referring to a Seoul Administrative Court ruling, the report explained wedding gifts as money handed over by guests according to a social custom to ease the economic burden on the parents hosting the wedding. Conversely, it reported that wedding gifts from guests who have a direct personal relationship with the bride or groom, such as their friends or workplace colleagues, may be recognized as a source of the child’s funds.
In this case, the key is proof. MoneyToday explained that materials confirming who paid the money—such as a guest book, guest list, or wedding-gift records—are needed. Wedding gifts are not merely a matter of the average amount; they are also a record of relationships, and that distinction becomes more important when the money is used for a large expense.
References
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