The gift is easy. The taboo is what catches people out.
A clock at a Chinese wedding means attending a funeral. An even-numbered bouquet at a Russian one is for the dead. Japanese cash must be crisp new notes in odd amounts. These are not preferences, and almost no gift guide mentions them.
- Tamil Tamil Nadu, and the Tamil diaspora 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
- Chinese Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and the diaspora 10 gifts · 7 to avoid
- Cantonese Hong Kong, Guangdong, and Cantonese communities worldwide 10 gifts · 5 to avoid
- Japanese Japan 10 gifts · 6 to avoid
- Korean South Korea and the Korean diaspora 10 gifts · 5 to avoid
- Mexican Mexico and Mexican communities abroad 10 gifts · 4 to avoid
- Peruvian Peru, including Andean and coastal traditions 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
- Punjabi Punjab, and the Punjabi diaspora 10 gifts · 4 to avoid
- Muslim Muslim communities in South Asia and worldwide 10 gifts · 6 to avoid
- Jewish Israel, the United States and Jewish communities worldwide 10 gifts · 5 to avoid
- Greek Greece, Cyprus and the Greek diaspora 10 gifts · 4 to avoid
- Italian Italy and the Italian diaspora 10 gifts · 5 to avoid
- Polish Poland and the Polish diaspora 10 gifts · 5 to avoid
- Spanish Spain 10 gifts · 4 to avoid
- German Germany, Austria and Switzerland 10 gifts · 5 to avoid
- Irish Ireland and the Irish diaspora 10 gifts · 4 to avoid
- French France and francophone Europe 10 gifts · 4 to avoid
- Ukrainian Ukraine and the Ukrainian diaspora 10 gifts · 5 to avoid
- Turkish Turkey and the Turkish diaspora 10 gifts · 4 to avoid
- Persian & Iranian Iran and the Iranian diaspora 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
- Lebanese & Levantine Arab Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine and the diaspora 10 gifts · 4 to avoid
- Armenian Armenia and the Armenian diaspora 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
- Vietnamese Vietnam and the Vietnamese diaspora 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
- Thai Thailand 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
- Filipino The Philippines and the Filipino diaspora 10 gifts · 4 to avoid
- Malay Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
- Indonesian & Javanese Indonesia, especially Java 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
- Sri Lankan Sri Lanka — Sinhala Buddhist practice 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
- Pakistani Pakistan and the Pakistani diaspora 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
- Nepali Nepal and the Nepali diaspora 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
- Yoruba (Nigerian) Southwest Nigeria and the Yoruba diaspora 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
- Igbo (Nigerian) Southeast Nigeria and the Igbo diaspora 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
- Ghanaian Ghana and the Ghanaian diaspora 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
- Ethiopian & Eritrean Ethiopia, Eritrea and the diaspora 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
- South African South Africa — Zulu, Xhosa and Sotho traditions 10 gifts · 4 to avoid
- Brazilian Brazil 10 gifts · 4 to avoid
- Argentine Argentina and the Southern Cone 10 gifts · 4 to avoid
- Colombian Colombia 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
- Western & American United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Western Europe 10 gifts · 5 to avoid
- Bengali West Bengal, Bangladesh, and the Bengali diaspora 10 gifts · 4 to avoid
- Russian & Orthodox Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Greece and Orthodox communities abroad 10 gifts · 5 to avoid
- Gujarati Gujarat, and the Gujarati diaspora 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
- Marathi Maharashtra 10 gifts · 3 to avoid
Why these are different from the usual lists
Most "wedding gifts around the world" pages are the same twenty items with the country name changed. These are not. Each list is drawn from what that culture actually gives — a kuthuvilakku at a Tamil wedding, dragon-and-phoenix bangles at a Cantonese one, thirteen arras coins at a Mexican one, a multiple of eighteen at a Jewish one.
Every page also carries the cash convention, which in most of these traditions is the gift, and where the etiquette is precise, it is given precisely. Odd amounts ending in one across Hindu practice. Even amounts avoiding four in Chinese. Odd multiples of ten thousand yen in Japan, in new notes.
All of it written as common practice, not prescription. Regional and family variation is enormous, and if you are close enough to the couple to ask, ask.