How to Calculate Wedding Gifts: What Does It Mean That It's Common Sense Not to Invite Couples to Stay in the Black?

2016.04.03 published

How Much Does a Wedding Actually Cost?

How much do you think a wedding costs?

"My wedding cost 7 million yen!"

"My wedding cost 5 million yen!"

We often hear stories like these, right?

If you hear such stories without any prior knowledge before holding a wedding,

you might find yourself panicking and thinking,

"What? My entire savings of 7 million yen could disappear in just one day?!"

But don't worry!

That's not the case!

Invoice Amount - Wedding Gifts = Burden Amount!

In many cases, the wedding costs refer to the total amount billed by the wedding venue.

However, there's a system called 'wedding gifts' (ご祝儀),

where guests can provide money when attending the reception,

allowing you to offset that amount against your payment to the venue.

So basically,

the amount you owe is calculated by subtracting the wedding gifts received

from the total billed amount from the venue.

It won’t be the terrifying situation where the bride and groom bear the entire burden of 7 million or 5 million yen alone.

<Wedding Gift Simulation>

If you invite 60 guests,

the minimum wedding gift would be 30,000 yen per person.

Often, relatives and superiors give more,

so even assuming an average of 40,000 yen,

you could apply 40,000 yen x 60 people, totaling 2.4 million yen towards your payment, so rest assured! ♩

The idea is to ensure that the total amount of wedding gifts you receive does not exceed your costs,

aiming for a zero self-burden wedding, which has become a hot topic in commercials.

If You Want to Receive More Wedding Gifts...

The more wedding gifts you receive, the more you can reduce your out-of-pocket expenses. This is the basic structure of wedding costs.

It's a rather blunt topic, but to maximize the amount of wedding gifts you receive,

the following two strategies apply:

☑ Increase the number of guests

☑ Invite more superiors (as they tend to give larger amounts)

Aside from these, there’s a common “rule” in the wedding industry regarding increasing wedding gifts.

That rule is: "Don't invite couples as friends!"

Why Is Inviting Couples to the Reception a Loss?

There's an unspoken rule that wedding gifts for friends are typically set at 30,000 yen per person.

Simultaneously, there's also an implicit rule that if you invite a couple, they can contribute a combined gift of 50,000 yen.

Generally, if you invite two individuals, you would receive gifts worth 60,000 yen (30,000 yen x 2),

but for couples, you'd only receive 50,000 yen, resulting in a loss of 10,000 yen.

Indeed, considering just the amount of gifts, this 10,000 yen loss is a fact.

Even if you initially think, "It's just 10,000 yen! Nothing can replace friendship!",

if the wedding has many local friends and many of them are married couples,

the difference of [10,000 yen] can stack up like a body blow, making it a bit tough...

Many have murmured curses about the couple gift system of 50,000 yen...

Knowing this Brings Peace of Mind! How to Calculate Wedding Gifts＊

A wedding is a joyous event.

It’s a time to invite those who have supported you, express gratitude, and ask for their continued support.

Focusing on gathering as many wedding gifts as possible may seem somewhat dubious

as a stance towards wedding preparations, but financial discussions are essential.

It’s well-known in the wedding industry that inviting couples results in fewer wedding gifts!

With this in mind, it’s important to personally assess whether to invite treasured friends or not. ♩

Of course, it is a great honor and joy for important friends to be able to attend your wedding.

The worst situation is when you, unaware of the "couples with gifts of 50,000 yen" rule,

invite many friend couples, resulting in increased out-of-pocket costs, leading to regrets for the bride and groom like,

"If I had known, I would have reduced the number of couple guests...!"

Gather knowledge, make informed decisions, and hold a happy wedding! ♩