My Taiwanese cousin’s son is getting married in Taiwan, and I have a question about how much money would be appropriate to give as a wedding gift. The circumstances are as follows:
I will be attending the wedding reception with my wife, so our monetary gift to the new couple will be from both of us.
The new couple will not hold a formal wedding ceremony, but instead will have a banquet and reception party at a guest house/pension (民宿).
My wife and I will be bringing as a wedding gift a table clock worth about 2100 TWD.
Under these circumstances, in addition to the clock, what amount for a monetary gift would be appropriate?
No worries about that part, as they requested a specific clock and we bought it. But we feel that it would still be better to additionally give a monetary gift as well – but are not sure about the appropriate amount.
I’ve heard that a clock or watch is traditionally not suitable as a gift. It’s meant to symbolize that there is a time limit on your relationship with the receiver of the gift. Whenever my wife has bought shoes or a watch for me, she has insisted that I “buy” them from her for a dollar.
Coffee or tea? Something edible if you can’t think of anything and they can eat or throw it away after it expires. Be careful of the color and packaging. Green color is safe.
If you want to buy them something expensive, maybe green jade?
But maybe they don’t care for traditions and superstitions since they are not doing a formal wedding
This sounds like a Western-style wedding (as one would never request or give a gift in a Chinese-style wedding, especially not a clock as it symbolizes death!), in which case a monetary gift isn’t necessary.
If this was a Chinese-style wedding banquet at a hotel or banquet hall, then as a couple you should gift TW$5,000-6,000 in a red envelop (which wouldn’t even cover the cost of your portion of the meal).
Well it’s such a strange gift to give in this culture for a wedding . I was being polite above but there is no fucking way I’d give a clock as a gift here lol…Yes he explained it afterwards. As for the money probably 3k and upwards but ya already got the gift. Most people don’t give gifts here so 2.1k is just fine.
well it’s just possible that a Taiwanese couple have thrown off 5000 years of culture and superstition and said, you know what, let’s be gifted a clock. And you know what else, let’s get married in a year with a three in it (not sure if that’s a thing, I seem to remember something of the sort).
Just Ask your mother/ in law, depending on who’s side of the family it is. They will tell you what is acceptable. It will be calculated down to the dollar depending on the closeness of the family, the style and location of the venue, current trends and traditions, family friends and traditions, the day of the week, month year using both traditional and Gregorian Calendar and most importantly how much that side of the family has given recorded in previous marriage books.
Count the clock as an additional gift was that may not be on the books for future reference.
