Wedding Gift
How much should I gift my first cousin for their wedding?
My husband and I are currently in a difficult financial situation following his work accident. I’m also his caretaker while taking care of our three kids, so financially, things are very tight right now.
One of our children is in the wedding party, so we’ve already had to purchase a dress, shoes, and other things for her. We also live out of state and have to drive almost 400 miles to the wedding. We’re going a couple of days early for the rehearsal and wedding events.
Thankfully, we don’t have to pay for a hotel, but I did have to rent a car for the week because my car needed to go into the shop for repairs. So, altogether, five of us are traveling to the wedding: my husband and me, a toddler, a teenager, and our preteen who is part of the wedding party.
With all of the travel expenses, wedding-related expenses, and everything else we’re already spending, I’m not sure how much I should give as a wedding gift. I obviously want to give something thoughtful because this is my first cousin, but I also don’t want to put us in a worse financial position just to meet an expected gift amount.
What would be a reasonable amount to give in our situation?