Money is favoured as a wedding gift by a hefty percentage of soon-to-be-married couples.
Cash gifts for wedded couples could be put towards a mortgage.
Over a third of prospective newlyweds ask for money or vouchers as wedding gifts instead of charity donations, according to a first direct survey.
The poll of almost 2000 people found that 35% of participants would ask for money and 22% would request presents from a gift list. Just under a fifth of respondents said they would allow guests to bring a gift of their own choosing and 3% said they would prefer that donations be made to charity on their behalf in the style of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
However, 19% of people said they would ask for nothing.
Richard Brown, Senior Savings Product Manager, said: “It is a wonderful gesture that Prince William and Kate Middleton have asked for donations to good causes to celebrate their wedding. However, with couples needing huge deposits to get on the housing ladder and the cost of everything from honeymoons to petrol going up, the economic reality for most couples is that money is the most useful gift they can ask for. While guests can feel this is impersonal, it can help the couple to save for important purchases that will hopefully help set them on the road to a lifetime of happiness”.
Guests were found to be less keen on giving a cash gift with 39% finding it to be ‘impersonal’. A further 34% said they would prefer it if the married couple did not know how much money they had spent on a gift.
However, 18% of people said they found giving money towards a mortgage to be a good idea.