How Much Money to Give at a Spanish Wedding in 2026

Key Takeaway: At a Spanish wedding, cash is the gift. Plan on roughly €150 per adult guest as the 2026 baseline, €200–€300 if you're a close friend, and €300–€500 or more for close family. Most couples share their bank details with the invitation — send your transfer one to two weeks before the wedding.

If you've been invited to a wedding in Spain, the question isn't what to give — it's how much. Spanish weddings run on cash gifts, the couple usually tells you exactly where to send the money, and there's a widely understood going rate. Get the number roughly right and nobody ever thinks about it again.

This guide covers the 2026 norms by relationship, the regional differences (northern Spain gives nearly double what Murcia does), the transfer-versus-envelope question, and what to do as a foreign guest used to registries. For guest-side rules that apply anywhere, see our 10 wedding gift etiquette rules for guests.

Why Spanish Weddings Run on Cash, Not a Registry

The traditional lista de bodas — a registry held at a department store — has largely died out in Spain. Most Spanish couples today live together before marrying and already own the toasters; what they're funding is the wedding itself and the honeymoon. So the gift evolved into a direct cash contribution, and the mechanics evolved with it: it's now completely normal for couples to print a bank account number on the invitation or wedding website. El País was documenting this going-rate culture — and guests' anxiety about it — back in 2019, and the norm has only consolidated since.

That makes Spanish wedding gifting refreshingly unambiguous compared to American etiquette debates. There's no agonizing over registry picks, and the "cover your plate" idea that US etiquette experts reject is, in Spain, more or less the actual system.

How Much to Give, by Relationship

Spanish wedding guides published in 2024 and 2025 converge on the same tiers. The Local's 2024 guide, Felizia's 2025 figures, and Lucía se Casa's etiquette guide differ a little at the edges, so the table below shows the consensus ranges:

A few notes on reading that table honestly. €150 per adult is the floor, not the average — every major Spanish source lands there as the minimum respectable amount for a standard guest. Closeness moves the number more than anything else: Lucía se Casa puts very close friends at €300–€500 and parents of the couple at €600–€700, while The Local summarizes family as "double or more" the standard rate. And if you skip the wedding, you're not expected to cover a plate you won't eat — a transfer of about half your would-have-been amount, with a warm note, is the graceful move.

The "Cover Your Plate" Rule Actually Applies in Spain

The informal logic behind all of these numbers: your gift should at least cover what the couple is spending to host you, plus something on top.

Unlike in the US, that math is openly discussed in Spain. The Association of Wedding Professionals in Spain (APBE) put the 2023 cost per diner at €75–€150, and with the average Spanish wedding costing around €21,000 for roughly 115 guests, the all-in cost per head works out to about €180. That's why €150 per person is the consensus floor — and why amounts climb at obviously expensive venues. If you're eating a seven-course menu at a converted palace outside Madrid, the couple is spending well over €150 on you, and your gift should reflect it.

You don't need forensic accounting. Formal venue, big city, open bar until 5 a.m. (very possible in Spain): lean toward the top of your range. Casual rural celebration: the standard range is fine. Couples can see how those per-guest costs stack up in our wedding budget breakdown by percentage.

Bank Transfer Before, or Envelope on the Day?

Both are correct; the transfer has become the default.

Bank transfer (the norm): Couples typically include their account number with the invitation or on the wedding website. Spanish guides recommend sending your transfer one to two weeks before the wedding — it helps with the enormous bills that land right before the day, and nobody has to carry thousands of euros at the reception. Put your full name (and your plus-one's) in the transfer reference so the couple can match gifts to guests for thank-yous.

Cash envelope (still fine): The classic sobre handed to the couple or dropped in a box at the reception remains perfectly acceptable, especially among older guests. A transfer sent within a few days after the wedding is also within bounds — before is simply tidier.

One thing you should not do: show up with only a boxed gift the couple never asked for. In a no-registry culture, an unrequested physical gift in place of the expected cash reads as a miss, however well intentioned.

Regional Differences: The North Gives More

Wedding costs — and therefore gift expectations — vary sharply across Spain. The Local compiled per-guest wedding costs by region, and the spread is wide:

The pattern is consistent: weddings in northern Spain — famous for marathon banquets — cost the most per head, so guests there calibrate upward, commonly €200–€250 per person. In Murcia, Andalusia, and much of the south and center, €150 comfortably clears the bar. Follow the norm where the wedding is held, not where you live — and asking a fellow guest is completely normal among Spaniards too.

Advice for Foreign Guests at a Spanish Wedding

If you're traveling from the US or UK for a Spanish wedding, three adjustments matter:

1. Recalibrate the amount upward. Zola's 2026 US guidance puts the average American wedding gift at about $130, with $100–$150 typical. Spain's €150-per-person floor is already above that, and family tiers go far higher. Give by Spanish norms, in euros.
2. Don't hunt for a registry. There almost certainly isn't one. Use the account details the couple provided; if your bank charges heavily for international transfers, a low-fee transfer service or simply asking the couple how they'd prefer to receive it is fine. Significant travel costs are a legitimate reason to sit at the lower end of your range — Spanish guides acknowledge this openly.
3. A small personal gift on top is welcome — as an extra, not a substitute. Something thoughtful from home alongside the transfer is a lovely touch. If you need ideas, Genie, GiftList's free AI gift finder, can turn "Spanish couple, just married, loves wine and hiking" into concrete suggestions in seconds.

Curious how else gifting norms flip at the border? Money customs vary this much for other milestones too — see how graduation gifting differs across cultures.

For Couples: Collecting Cash Gifts Without the Awkwardness

If you're the couple — especially one marrying in Spain with guests in several countries — the Spanish system has a lesson: people happily give money when you make it easy. A free GiftList wedding registry lets you do both gracefully: add a honeymoon or house cash fund with a goal amount, plus a few physical items for guests who really want to wrap something. Contributions go directly to a payment account you already use, with no fees and no middleman holding your money. For what else belongs on a modern registry, see our wedding registry guide for 2026.

The Bottom Line

Spanish wedding gifting is generous but mercifully clear: cash, sent by bank transfer a week or two ahead, at €150 per adult minimum — more as your closeness, the venue, and the region demand. Cover what your seat costs the couple, add a margin that reflects the relationship, write your name in the transfer reference, then forget about it and enjoy the longest, best-fed wedding reception of your life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it rude to give a physical gift instead of money at a Spanish wedding?

It's not rude, but it's unusual. Traditional registries (the lista de bodas) have largely faded in Spain, and most couples expect a cash transfer instead. If you want to give something personal, do both — send the expected transfer and bring a small, meaningful gift alongside it.

How much should a couple give at a Spanish wedding?

Two guests attending together typically give a combined €300–€500, depending on closeness and the formality of the venue. Spanish guides treat €150 per adult as the floor, so a couple should rarely transfer less than €300 — and close relatives often go well above that range.

Should I send the bank transfer before or after the wedding?

Before is the norm. Spanish etiquette guides recommend sending your transfer one to two weeks ahead of the wedding, using the account number the couple includes with the invitation. A transfer a few days after the wedding, or a cash envelope handed over at the reception, is still acceptable.

How much should I give if I can't attend a Spanish wedding?

If you decline the invitation, you're not obligated to cover a plate you won't eat. Spanish guides suggest sending roughly half of what you would have given in person — commonly €75–€150 depending on your relationship — as a goodwill gesture, ideally with a congratulatory note or call.

Do children count toward the wedding gift amount in Spain?

Yes. If your kids are invited and attending, they occupy seats and menus the couple is paying for. Spanish etiquette guides suggest adding roughly €100–€150 per child on top of the adults' contribution, scaled to the formality of the wedding and your relationship with the couple.

How do Spanish wedding gift amounts compare to American norms?

They run noticeably higher. Zola's 2026 guidance puts the average US wedding gift around $130, with $100–$150 typical — while Spain's baseline is about €150 per person and close family commonly gives €300–€500. The difference exists because in Spain cash replaces the registry entirely.