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I will be attending a Hindu wedding in the state of Odisha in India in the near future. The wedding is between a the brother of a friend of mine and his new bride. I will be traveling from the US, and I will have a limited amount of extra space for a gift from here. I will also be traveling around the country for the week beforehand so the ideal gift would be cash since I can simply stop by an ATM before the wedding.

  • What is an appropriate gift for such an event?
  • Are there some small items that I can find in the US that are difficult to find in India?
  • Is it common to simply give cash?
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    A Ferrari will be accepted by all religions and all races in all countries.. In case you are confused. Jan 10, 2015 at 16:11
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    You might even find your fiancé on the spot.
    – AKS
    Jan 10, 2015 at 16:47
  • @NeanDerThal Not by the Amish. Oct 4, 2021 at 8:34

1 Answer 1

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India is a very religious country, so the couple's religion can matter. If they are in different religions, do it in favor of whose side you are visiting for.

It is accepted if you leave cash in an envelope for the couple. Observe others to see whether they write the names in it or not, and follow. Usually, there are envelopes available on-site. I can't really comment about the amount though. Local currency should be OK.

If the couple if Muslim, there are some traditions they follow. I don't know much about them, but let's see if someone can comment on that. Money in an envelope doesn't seem to be a tradition.

For Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, etc, money should be fine.

There are print shops everywhere but it's a bit hard to find a good one. If you are planning to give them a printed gift, make sure you place the order at least 2 days before. Not sure if it's the same in the US, but I have seen some shops printing items in a very low quality.

A custom clock, canvas print of the couple, or something like that would be great in my opinion. I once gifted a couple a huge canvas print of them, and I still see it hanging in their place. TVs, rice cookers, and even cars are the norm there (Indian-made cars are very cheap).

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  • Thanks for the answer! I forgot to put in the question that the family is Hindu, but I've edited now. Jan 10, 2015 at 16:45
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    Are clocks really a good gift in India? For example in China that would be extremely rude as it means time is ticking towards death Feb 6, 2020 at 6:42
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    @MattDouhan I don't think it will be rude, but clocks are not a prestigious gift unless you are talking about Victorian age 1 meter gigantic wooden clock. A wrist watch would be a nice gift and is given commonly.
    – AKS
    Feb 6, 2020 at 10:12

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