Are gifts necessary for destination weddings? The verdict is in

Weddings are expensive, even if you are merely a guest — there are the outfits, the travel, the gifts.

Now, with the increase in the number of destination weddings, friends and family of happy couples are being left with even emptier pockets.

Loosely defined as a wedding where guests have to travel far enough to have to get accommodation, usually overseas, these events can come with huge costs to guests.

So, the big question looms: do you still have to buy a present when you're already paying so much for travel and accommodation?

In a recent exclusive survey conducted by Nine.com.au, a huge 59 per cent of 1288 respondents shared the view a gift was not necessary.

Only 15 per cent of respondents thought it necessary to bring a gift, while a further 14 per cent were unsure on the matter.

At the other end of the spectrum, 12 per cent were left scratching their head on what a 'destination wedding' even was.

9Honey's Shelly Horton tied the knot with her husband Darren in Mexico with friends and family, with the couple deciding gifts weren't required.

"We had a destination wedding where 'presence' was 'present' enough," Shelly explained in an episode of Talking Honey.

"Also, how am I going to carry all of these presents around on the honeymoon? It doesn't make sense."

For weddings where gifts are necessary, there are certain amounts of money expected to be spent, Shelly discovered.

According to wedding magazines she researched, around $50 to $75 is seen as acceptable for a colleague or distant friend or relative, while $75 to $100 was suggested if you know the couple a little better,

If you're super close with the duo getting hitched, you should apparently consider forking over $100 to $150.

When did weddings become so political?