what is considered "expensive"?

forrma7

Hi everyone! I'm new to the registering thing, and I'm trying to get my bearings about it all

I clearly want to give my guests a good range of prices as per good etiquette, but is there a commonly agreed on price for what is considered affordable and expensive?

Would a $30 gift be affordable and maybe like $150+ be expensive?

Let me know what you think!

thank you lovelies!

mags0607

This is how I arbitrarily went about figuring out what price range things fell into. Keep in mind, this is totally subjective based on both your circle and your location.

$35 and under- Affordable, mostly shower gifts (kitchen Gadgets and whatnot) This was about 40% of the things on my registry

$35-$75- mostly affordable, some shower gifts, some wedding gifts. These were mostly thngs that I registered for multiples ( ie. place settings, silverware) This was about 40% of the things on my registry

$75-$150- moderate to pricey, these were mainly fine china, silver gifts and higher end kitchen gadgets. Mostly as wedding presents. This was about 15% of my registry

$150 + - Specialty items. These were luxury items such as a Dyson, kitchen aid mixer, my bedding. Things that I knew people would either buy as a group, or some close family members would possibly purchase. I only put aout 5-10 large items total.

I also come from a gifty circle, so a lot of the wedding presents are gifts from the registries, so thats why I did such a vast price range. Good luck, hope this helps a little.

mysticl

It really depends on the person and their situation.  When some of my friends got married just out of college $30.00 was considered to be kinda pricey for the friends who were still in school. Today many of those same people would probably consider $30.00 to be affordable. 

jagore08

I think Mags summed it up well.

quotequeen

Yes, it really depends on the average gift in your circle which can vary a lot.  Definitely have some things in the $200-400 range if you want them, because some people may want to spend that much, or to go in together on a gift as a group.

ehathewa

Expensive and affordable are very relative terms.  Just have a nice variety of prices.  I think Mags had a nice breakdown... but you know your friends and relatives best. 

noodle_oo

Yeah, this totally depends on your friends/families situations and traditions.    But I'll give you my perspective.  I typically spend about $50 on a shower gift and around $100 on a wedding gift.  I like to give boxed gifts, so I'll usually buy like a food processor or some other kitchen thing as a wedding present and deliver it before the wedding.

Based on our registry, we kept many items less than $50, most gifts between $50 and $100 (even distribution) and I think we only had 1 or 2 items above $150, nothing over $200.  We ended up getting very little off our registry, mostly cash actually so we plan to go back and complete the stuff we really want off our registry at some point.

Manwaithiel

A good variety is good. Be heavy handed on the less pricey things and a little less so on the more pricey (whatever "pricey" means in your group of people).

Have fun registering! It can be a blast so make it a fun part of your wedding planning.

SSaltzman87

Variety in price is definitely good when it comes to registering for stuff. What's considered 'expensive' will vary from person to person- some may say $30 is pushing it while others can drop $150 and not even notice. I don't think there's a 'set' amount as to what's expensive and what isn't.

I do agree with registering for more 'less' expensive things than pricer stuff though. That just makes sense to me no matter how wealthy your guests are.

[Deleted User]

We're still working on finishing up our registry, but we're trying to make sure we have a good range of prices to fit every budget.  We have things from 94 cents (the reusable ice blocks to in the lunchbags we put on the list) to $179 (vacuum cleaner).

If you use Target's registry - they actually have a breakdown on their website, based on the # of guests you listed, of how many items you should have in each price range (and how many you currently have to help you keep track). We've found this tool very helpful (esp since we're registering at BB&B and Sears as well). 

sister2groom

Also depends on what you are willing to spend. Obviously if you register for 8 place settings and get only 5 or 7, you have to be willing to buy the extras.

heyimbren

Okay, this is my personal opinoin on this but I also think registry items should sort of "reflect" where you're at in life.

For example, if you're a college student just getting married and you registered for a $450 KitchenAid Mixer, I'm going to want to buy you a hand mixer instead. But if you're older and have everything you already need, and you're just look to upgrade, nice group gifts can be nice as well.

Mags gave a good breakdown.