Meh it’s normal in Japan. Although rather than actually setting a price, it is just a cultural norm to gift money. ¥30,000 (about 200 USD right now) is the basic minimum, but it goes up based on relationship. If you plan and negotiate with venues well, you can end up paying nothing out of pocket.
Further, the actual wedding is also done at the municipal office and costs little/nothing.
That’s true. If you just want to get married without a ceremony, you can do it for free here. It’s also common to get married on paper months before the actual party/ceremony which is great for getting name changes and other affairs in order before the actual wedding ceremony, which can reduce stress.
Same in Croatia. The idea is that the combined gift amounts cover the cost of the wedding + leave a little bit extra
100-200€ per person is pretty standard
Removing the social expectations, it is a bit odd to take hundreds of dollars from each of your friends to have a party that you have full control over. I wouldn’t expect my friends to fund anything in my life. But hey, I live in a country that can’t even crowdfund healthcare on a national level so maybe my view is just skewed.