AIBU to go to a wedding reception and give £10 as a gift?

[roconnell]

DP and I have received an evening invitation from one of my friends from uni, who I was fairly close to at the time, but haven't seen for over a year. DP has never met this friend or their soon to be spouse.

The invitation has come with one of those poems, along the lines of 'we have everything we could possibly need, but a little extra cash would be great,' type thing.
The issue is we could literally only afford £10 max. I'm part way through a masters degree and surviving mostly off a loan, and DP is also a student, and works part time in a very low paying job. AIBU to go to a wedding reception and give £10, or would it be better to just give nothing?

[ArmySal]

Something is better than nothing, surely? If she's invited you she obviously likes you and should understand if you can't afford more.

[x2boys]

Give £10 if that's what you can afford i gave my cousin and his wife £30 as it was all I could afford .

[Greensleeves]

YANBU

it's only an evening invitation

[MadMags]

Just don’t go! It won’t only be £10 when you add up all the costs, will it?

If things are that tight then it’s a cost you don’t need!

[ObiJuanKenobi]

I wouldn't worry at all for an evening invite, £10 is more than I would expect.

[thecatsthecats]

£10 would be absolutely fine for me, though if you feel weird about it, I'd get them a bottle of wine or prosecco.

[LovelyBranches]

I think a bottle of something looks nicer. £10 looks like you forgot to get something so you took money out of your purse on the way there.

It’s fine if it’s all you can afford but as a pp said, the wedding will cost more than that to attend so it may be out of your reach right now

[Highpeak]

I wouldn't expect gifts at all from an evening guest. Just a card would be fine, especially if you will incur costs going there.

[Knittedfairies]

If it's a cash bar it's going to cost you more than a tenner...

[PurpleCrazyHorse]

I'd consider sending them a nice card wishing them a wonderful marriage and decline the invite. It's not just the £10 gift, there's no doubt costs to get there, a drink or two at the venue etc

[Oysterbabe]

I think it's fine but 2 drinks at the party will probably cost about £10, can you afford to go at all?

[Ellendegeneres]

I think it’s cheeky in the extreme to include the money request in a card for evening invite guests. I have no problem with the two-tier invitation side but if I invite someone to a party (which the evening bit is) I don’t expect or want them to give me anything, it’s my pleasure to host and see/spend time with them.

I’d consider not going op, if your finances are that tight your expenditure is likely to be more than you can comfortably afford anyway

[thecatsthecats]

I was assuming OP had figured out that things cost money tbh, and that the £10 was explicitly what she could give on top as a gift..

[MadMags]

Possibly cats. But someone she hasn’t really spoken to in years, someone not known to her dp...

It’s money that could be spent elsewhere.

[silvousplaitmerci]

They're cheeky to ask for cash but I wouldn't stick a tenner in a card at a wedding.

Buy them a bottle and, if you're as skint as you make out, don't go.

[allthgoodusernamesaretaken]

I'm sorry to go against the grain, but I think it looks mean for a couple to attend the wedding (even if only the evening reception) and give just £10

If you're keen to go, but have a low budget, I agree with PP that a bottle of wine would be better. Or perhaps make up a collage of photos, or maybe give them a Groupon voucher ?

Or, if funds are very tight, I think I probably decline and send a card wishing them well

[NewYearNiki]

I wouldn't go at all.

You haven't seen them for a year and it's only an evening invitation

It is not just the present but the costs of getting there et al.

If you're strapped for cash I wouldn't go.

[0nTheEdge]

If you want to go and can afford the other costs associated, I'd say go and put the £10 in a card or get a nice bottle of prosecco. I think the most important thing is going and celebrating part of their special day with them. If I had done evening invites to mine I'd have been inviting people because I wanted them to be there and to see them, not to bump up the cash pot.

[Greensleeves]

allthegood, £10 only looks mean to those who are not used to associating with people on a low income

there are whole communities of people out there who couldn't afford to stump up more than £10 for a gift, you know

[SheilaFentiman]

I'd go, not put in any money and write in the card that you'd love to take her and new DH for a drink when they are back from honeymoon.

[MichaelBendfaster]

What Greensleeves said. I''d be happy to receive £10. Having said that, I'd never ask for wedding money (or presents, for that matter); I'd just invite people because I wanted to spend the day/evening with them.

If they're friends and they have the tiniest inkling of manners, they'll be pleased to receive it.

[ClareB83]

I'm not expecting gifts from evening guests. But please don't get a bottle of wine - the wedding isn't at their home and it's just another thing to schlep Home. They would probably rather choose their own wine too.

[Hillingdon]

How much will it cost you to get there, new outfit etc. If you can only afford £10 then I wouldn't go but I do like the sound of a bottle of something. M&S often do half price champagne if that helps.

Bar bills have a habit of flooring you especially if you start chatting to people and it becomes 'your' round!

[roconnell]

I was assuming OP had figured out that things cost money tbh, and that the £10 was explicitly what she could give on top as a gift..

Yes, all other costs are factored in. Things aren't usually so tight, but the particular month that the wedding is in will be very expensive for us for various reasons. If it was in another month, it would be absolutely fine. We are definitely going to go.

[MadMags]

Yeah bringing a bottle is odd. Like you’re rocking up to a dinner party!