Newlyweds net over £7k worth of wedding gifts

• Cash overtakes physical gifts as the most popular wedding present
• Brits spend an average of £85 on a wedding gift, Admiral reveals
• One in five people admit to falling out with someone over a wedding gift
• Unusual wedding gifts received include: a box of electrical fuses, cat food, and a stepladder
• Charity donations have seen sharpest rise in gifting popularity

With around a quarter of a million marriages taking place in the UK every year1 and an average of 82 guests per wedding2 newlyweds could find themselves scooping almost £7,0003 worth of gifts on their big day.

According to a new investigation from Admiral Home Insurance couples could find themselves entering married life together by counting out the cash, as it’s revealed the UK’s wedding gift giving habits are changing and the traditional wedding list is dying out.

The investigation found that British people are more likely to have given money (36%) at a wedding than any other type of present at weddings over the last 10 years, including an item from the once popular wedding gift list (29%).

On average wedding guests will spend £85 per gift, dropping to £70 if they’re only invited to the evening reception. 

By contrast, most people said if they were getting married this summer they’d expect their guests to spend at least £62 on a present, rising to £94 for gifts from immediate family and dropping to £47 for presents from distant friends.

Those who are currently engaged would expect to receive presents valued at £91, from guests, almost double the expectation of those who are single, who thought £52 was the right value for a guest to spend.