Hey ladies, H and I have been invited to an Indian (I presume Hindu?) engagement party - and I'm super excited :-)
I'm curious about the gift-giving situation. In my circle engagement parties aren't gift giving events, but what limited knowledge I have about Indian wedding culture makes me think otherwise. (I know I'm totally sheltered, basically all I know comes from the wedding episode of Outsourced and a few stories a colleague shared with me while I was planning). They're having the party at a pretty large banquet hall, and the bride to be told H that dresses/shirt and tie would be appropriate (since we don't have any traditional attire) so I'm presuming we're looking at a large formal event.
What I can find online someone recommended $31 or $51 (apparently an extra dollar for luck) but I know the "norm" varies so much by region. I guess I'm hoping maybe someone can tell me if they'd give the same amount as they would at a wedding? or half? or some other comparison?
I know it's about what you can afford, but I guess I look at it like giving my 12 yo cousin a birthday card, could I afford to give him 50 or 100? I guess, but a 12 yo doesn't need $100, so I give him $20. KWIM? I don't want to come off as cheap, but at the same time I don't want to stretch ourselves unnecessarily thin if it's normal to give less than a wedding.
Any insight would be appreciated! :-)
