Survey: Wedding costs & budget

[mewmoon]

Hi all, I'm doing research on budget wedding planning in Singapore and would really appreciate input from the those who're currently planning or have already gone through their big day.

Here are my questions:

1) Did you set any budget before you started planning your wedding?

2a) How much did you spend on your wedding? (If you're uncomfortable with giving an exact figure, feel free to give an estimate.) [for those who have already gone through the wedding]
2b) How much have you spent on your wedding so far? [for those who're in the midst of planning still]

3) Did you go over your initial budget? If so, why and by how much?

4) How much of your wedding expenses are paid for with your savings and/or credit card?

5) Did you make a loss or profit from the red packets that you received during your wedding day? [for those who have already gone through their wedding]

6) If you could plan your wedding all over again, would you planned differently with a closer eye on your budget? Why?

That's all for now. Thanks for your kind participation in advance!

 

[robo]

am in the midst of planning for the wedding

so far the expenses is as follows;

proposal ring bought from a jeweller -$4.5k
wedding bands frm lee hwa - $2.6k/pair
wedding package Julia - $4k

 

[miloice]

Question 1 is a no brainer. Unless u have unlimited wealth or is fully sponsored, u surely need to plan your budget.

2a) How much did you spend on your wedding? (If you're uncomfortable with giving an exact figure, feel free to give an estimate.) [for those who have already gone through the wedding]
I dunno the exact, as it was done progressively. Clearing the expenses bit by bit. But, on the wedding day itself, probably > 15k in consideration of the photography, gown, food, logistics etc excluding the gate crashing angbao. The banquet, around 1.1k per table (5 yrs back). But broke even, so we only lost the deposit money. Significant part of the angbao came from family and colleagues. Don't expect everyone to give 'market rate'. Most didn't for us. We even received vouchers for ang bao.

3) Did you go over your initial budget? If so, why and by how much?
Yes, many things here and there. One needs to cater for buffer. Its impossible to plan everything. Pointless to try and control to the every minor details. Be flexible. Focus on the big items and the minor stuffs, just make do with whatever possible solutions.

4) How much of your wedding expenses are paid for with your savings and/or credit card?
Everything with our savings. With credit card whenever possible to enjoy the rewards for its spending.

5) Did you make a loss or profit from the red packets that you received during your wedding day? [for those who have already gone through their wedding]

Answered in 2.

6) If you could plan your wedding all over again, would you planned differently with a closer eye on your budget? Why?

No... money can be earned again. I have a happy wife and great wedding day. Look forward in the marriage not back with regrets.

 

[thiasy]

Hey!!!

I'm in the midst of planning for my wedding.

1)Set aside about $55k for wedding.
2b) Have spent abt $50k to date. Think the overall expense will increase to $55k at least because of my 3 weeks honeymoon in Europe. Paid off $33k so far. The remaining will be paid on wedding day itself.
3)Quite close to my initial budget.
4) Pay using credit card to earn points, but always pay back on time to prevent interests.
5) No. So far, I'm on track and can pay off the balance. No change in my plan.

 

[thommy]

milo, I think she's just doing a survey...

 

[miloice]

the scope of the expenses is not defined. Difficult to quantify. How about COV, housing, renovation, furniture, holiday, wedding bands, pin jing... the list can go on.

 

[ariebeth]

Currently in the midst.

1) Did you set any budget before you started planning your wedding?

Budgeted about 35k (though you didn't state the scope?)

2b) How much have you spent on your wedding so far? [for those who're in the midst of planning still]
Not really spent yet but almost!

Banquet: 14k
Wedding Bands: 2.4k (engagement ring doesn't count lol)
Bridal Pkg: 3.4k
Actual Day Photographer: $650
Honeymoon Pkg: 10k

Naturally I haven't included all the misc stuff like ang pows and shoes/accessories/manicure/honeymoon expenses blah blah etc.

We're not doing anything traditional so no dowry or other frivolous stuff.

3) Did you go over your initial budget? If so, why and by how much?

We're flexible and sensible (haha!) so... I think it'll be manageable even if we've exceeded it. (Although if you ask me, my one-month Europe honeymoon will shoot the budget to hell!)

4) How much of your wedding expenses are paid for with your savings and/or credit card?

Savings of course (shouldn't spend money you don't have) but using credit cards for perks.

5) Did you make a loss or profit from the red packets that you received during your wedding day? [for those who have already gone through their wedding]

n/a
But anyway it doesn't matter because I treat this as a sunk cost. Whatever I get in return is bonus. As long as everybody enjoy themselves.

6) If you could plan your wedding all over again, would you planned differently with a closer eye on your budget? Why?

I am happy with the way I've planned it. Many people willingly throw so much money into the blackhole that is their wedding, and want to have their Dream Wedding, forgetting that it's just one day that nobody else is going to remember. I'd rather have a small intimate dinner with good food and good company, and spend my money travelling.

 

[denise80]

1) Did you set any budget before you started planning your wedding?
Not really. Didn't really know how much to budget but I set aside 20k personally though I don't have to fork out much. I paid for some things but didn't really calculate how much I've spent. Not much though.

2a) How much did you spend on your wedding? (If you're uncomfortable with giving an exact figure, feel free to give an estimate.) [for those who have already gone through the wedding]
Banquet - $40k (paid by father-in-law)
Bridal studio & photography - 10k (paid by hubby)
Honeymoon - 10k (shared expenses)
Wedding bands - 3k (we bought for each other)

2b) How much have you spent on your wedding so far? [for those who're in the midst of planning still]
I spent less than 10k. My hubby spent less than 20k.

3) Did you go over your initial budget? If so, why and by how much?
Yes. Over by about 10k due to the gown and photos.

4) How much of your wedding expenses are paid for with your savings and/or credit card?
As mentioned, I'm very lucky. Mostly paid by my father-in-law and he didn't take the angbaos too tho we offered. So with the angbaos, we managed to make some $ too.

5) Did you make a loss or profit from the red packets that you received during your wedding day? [for those who have already gone through their wedding]
Made enough to pay for honeymoon and all other wedding expenses (refer to 4).

6) If you could plan your wedding all over again, would you planned differently with a closer eye on your budget? Why?
I wouldn't choose a six-star hotel (waste of $ I feel). I'll go for a cheaper one that serves also good food. The hotel was chosen by my parents-in-law. I also wished my hubby didn't have to rely on his father for the banquet expenses. It was nice of him to offer to pay but I don't feel good. We could have managed with a cheaper hotel banquet.

Anyway, because I think my case is really rare, you better plan well in terms of your budget. There is no point in splurging on wedding unless you have loads of $ to spare. I rather dump all my $ in my future home.

 

[dimpxtt]

chinese wedding is sooooooooooo ex.......

all SOPs

Invite guests for wedding at hotel ballroom
welcome speech
show video-bride and groom babies photo to pator photos to wedding photoshots
later...the gate crash video
change to kua or another colored dress-march in and give speech
then march in again to pour champagne and cross drink
invite relatives/frends on stage to yum seng
last one..on stage to thanks every1
total 8-10 cost meals

so sop..90% simliar in today's wedding context..
want to invite pple to come to your wedding..show off ur 'richness n status'
still kpkp say will lost as angbao given so misery by pple

nothing new
its money conscious world or just face world..haiz

all coz of 'face' ah

 

[blurrie6]

1) Did you set any budget before you started planning your wedding?
Not really.

2a) How much did you spend on your wedding? (If you're uncomfortable with giving an exact figure, feel free to give an estimate.) [for those who have already gone through the wedding]
- 26 tables at $738 per table
- $1400 for videography
- $1100 for photography
- $600 for ang pows for xiongdi and jiemei
- about $5k for bridal package
- $3k for wedding bands
- $13k for honeymoon
That's about all i can recall for now

3) Did you go over your initial budget? If so, why and by how much?
Yes. I forfeited a deposit with a bridal shop because I wanted to switch to another.

4) How much of your wedding expenses are paid for with your savings and/or credit card?
Hubby paid for wedding dinner with credit card so that he can earn points.

Remember to call up your credit card company before your wedding to request for a temporary increase on your card's limit.

5) Did you make a loss or profit from the red packets that you received during your wedding day? [for those who have already gone through their wedding]
We break even for our wedding dinner.

6) If you could plan your wedding all over again, would you planned differently with a closer eye on your budget? Why?
Nope. I'm happy with how it turned out.

 

[knottymomo]

1) Did you set any budget before you started planning your wedding?
Not really.

2a) How much did you spend on your wedding? (If you're uncomfortable with giving an exact figure, feel free to give an estimate.) [for those who have already gone through the wedding]
less than $25k - inclusive of wedding rings, bridal package, 28 tables, angbaos, PG, VG

3) Did you go over your initial budget? If so, why and by how much?
By about 1.5k due to topping up of wedding photos.

4) How much of your wedding expenses are paid for with your savings and/or credit card?

Bulk of the purchases are paid with credit card to gain cash rebates. Total rebates was about $1.5k, and no interest incurred as we paid up promptly


5) Did you make a loss or profit from the red packets that you received during your wedding day? [for those who have already gone through their wedding]

Broke even. Could cover for honeymoon too.

6) If you could plan your wedding all over again, would you planned differently with a closer eye on your budget? Why?

Could have made better choices on bridal shop and hotel, but budget wise, I think we spent wisely.

 

[renerene]

I just had my wedding in May...


1) Did you set any budget before you started planning your wedding?
=> Yes

2a) How much did you spend on your wedding? (If you're uncomfortable with giving an exact figure, feel free to give an estimate.) [for those who have already gone through the wedding]
=> About $29k

3) Did you go over your initial budget? If so, why and by how much?
=> No.

4) How much of your wedding expenses are paid for with your savings and/or credit card?
=> Not sure if it's a question of savings vs. debts or cash vs. credit cards. We have enough savings to cover all expenses but we used credit cards to pay for all the big-ticket items. Estimated expenses paid by credit card is $18k and the rest with cash/cheque.

5) Did you make a loss or profit from the red packets that you received during your wedding day? [for those who have already gone through their wedding]
=> If your "loss or profit" refers to the banquet, it's a profit. If it refers to the whole wedding, it's a "loss".
[Sidetrack: actually, I won't call it "loss" cos we do receive the products/services we paid for, yah? I'd say, our wedding is not "fully sponsored" ]

6) If you could plan your wedding all over again, would you planned differently with a closer eye on your budget? Why?
=> No, I think I've done an exellent job of keeping VERY close eye on our budget throughout the whole process, all the way up to the cents. Think there're not that many petty & calculative brides like me.

Note:
1. The discussion does not include honeymoon and new home expenses. I've separate plans for "honeymoon fund" and "home fund".
2. My "wedding fund" includes nitty-gritties like cab fares to bridal shows, dinner treats to helpers, buying stickers, signing pens, etc. (told u I was petty, didn't I?)
3. I'm not an accountant/auditor but I just took it as a personal challenge to work below the budget set by my hb at the very beginning. Love the (cheap) thrill whenever actual expenditure for certain item is lower than the budgeted.

 

[fairyprincess]

Its been 11 years since my wedding dinner- looking back with the benefit of hind-sight- there is really not much need to over-spend or splurge on the wedding day itself...save the funds for more permanent purchases like house and future financial planning...

These were my expenses:
- wedding dinner- 20 tables- all paid for by angbaos with some surplus
- wedding photography- did not do, just got a photographer for day and night shots
- wedding dress- tailor-made 3 gowns in KL
- wedding rings- of course spend- cos this is more permanent- bought Tiffany and Co Etiole rings in platinum- then could not wear after 2 kids (childbirth can cause permanent expansion of fingers)- so hubby bought a new ring from Tiffany for me ~2 years ago
- honeymoon- of course spend- went to Hawaii

Look at the bigger picture and longer term plans that you have as a couple...do not spend all the $$ on just one day...my 2 cents worth...

 

[mewmoon]

Thank you all for your valuable input. =) It's good to hear that people are spending wisely on their wedding.

Yes, I didn't define the scope coz it differs with everyone. Anyways I just wanted a general idea of how much people are spending on their weddings (excluding the house) so it's been quite enlightening.

 

[hazelnuts]

This is a very helpful post. My fiance and I are having a headache planning our wedding as the expenses seem to escalate with every item. We are very particular about everything and are not willing to stinge on quality. However I do not wish for us to blow our savings on a 1-day event so we have to look at cutting down on items while not compromising quality.

Our ideal venue is Shangri-La due to its grand lobby and high ballroom ceilings. It requires a min. no. of 35 tables for weekends and min. no. of 30 on weekdays. We could only estimate about 28 tables. There's probably no point in trying to invite more people coz ppl not close to you won't pay much ang pow anyway. So we are now considering a smaller venue such as The White Rabbit, hopefully that will be helpful in cutting a big bulk of the costs.

we will probably not do pre-wedding photography either as it is pure vanity and not reflective of the emotions of a wedding. It must be a business gimmick started by some photographers many yrs ago! We had initally thought of doing overseas shoot as it is too hot n humid in Singapore, I perspire very easily and will break out in heat rash.

I'm also thinking of giving up on my dream gown since it's a wear-once only item. Sigh... having a wedding is so expensive! And yes, having a wedding is very often for the parents instead of the couple. =(

 

[texasholdem]

don't know why pple need to spend so much on a wedding. 30k-50k? for what reason?
if the marriage last, good.
if it doesn't, then the money all throw in the lone kang.
after all, a wedding doesn't need to be lavish. y get yourself in un-necessary debts?

 

[thommy]

TPK: For "face" reasons.

 

[daemonkoh]

Mine (5 years ago):

Wedding bands - $450 (Simple rings from SK)
Bridal package - $3388 + $2k for extra photos (Regretted spent extra $2K for photos)
Wedding accessories misc like inserts printing, stamps, XI stickers, items, bedsheets, gold/silver pen, ang pow box, tea set, brolly & many more - $600+
GDL cakes, hard liquor + downry - $1200
Banquet table of 25 + red wine & hard liquor - 18K+ ($708 per table)
Actual day afternoon buffet + Angpow for all helpers : $900+
AD Photographer : $1,200
AD Videographer : $600

Total spent est: $30K+

After deducting angpows collected, (excluding gold items received) spent around $14K+ (our own savings) for entire wedding expenses.

No proposal rings, no credit cards, no honeymoon, no debts.

 

[jefferson_edison]

hey then with so much money spent for wedding. how about buying house, renovation etc?

 

[thiasy]

If buying a new flat, house will be fully paid by CPF. If buying resale flat, set aside at least $20k to $50k for COV.

renovation wise set aside $40k to $60k?

 

[daemonkoh]

For me,

I bought resale 4 room flat 5 years ago. Valuation : 235K and i bought it @ 239K (Top up 4K cash)

No need reno as it's move in condition. Spent on new furnitures, lightings, re-wiring the whole flat, painting, installed aircon, etc. (Less than 20K)

 

[ariebeth]

wahhh 4k COV! virtually unheard of these days.

for me, my immediate problem right now is keeping my self-control on a tight leash. Going to see my photos soon, and I told myself "NO TOPPING UP!". 30 photos is more than enough for an album I will probably only take out once in 10 yrs lol.

 

[daemonkoh]

The bridal shop staff kept pushing me to top up photos and i was stupid and gave in although i dun really like my photos!! Regretted so much to spent that 2K!

 

[ariebeth]

i shall remember your story Bluemoon, when i go to see my photos $_$

SELF-CONTROL grrrrrr!

if i tell them i think it's damn ugly and i hate my photos, maybe they will not pester me to buy lol

 

[miloice]

the hardsell tactics works everytime on the easy preys. Learn to be a tough minded customer to benefit the most from their sales frills without falling bait.

 

[daemonkoh]

Yes. will bear it in mind.

 

[jefferson_edison]

the photo u all saying is the wedding photo?

COV standing for? 20K COV for 4 room flat seems a very high price already. apply flat from HDB will take another 2-3 years. omg. but no choice no $$$ what to do..

 

[jefferson_edison]

if those very poor people.

no want a wedding dinner, just a buffet after ROM and then the remaining money buy a resale 4 room flat not in the high priced area. in west side, bukit panjang, yew tee, jurong east, chao chu kang etc... how much shall set aside?

seeing marriage need so much $$$ really scare.

the money must be estimated and well budgetted.

you people spend so much money just on wedding packages and dinner later in future got money to use mah?

Flats? children planning? of course that doesn't affect those very rich people I am asking those middle income or lower income people.

 

[daemonkoh]

Yes we are talking about wedding photos album from the bridal studio.

Both husband & I are from lower income family. When we were getting married 5 years ago, my husband depended on OT so that can earn 3K monthly. Practically work almost everyday from 7-7 (12 hours shift) That was when we are in our early twenties, all expenses are based on most of his savings of 30K. (My husband is a very thrifty person) After wedding, flat, baby delivery + raising 1 infant, not much savings left.

Lucky thing was my husband got retrenched last year from his low pay job and got $16K for his retrenchment package and after 2 jobless month, he managed to secure a much higher pay job. (From basic 1.6K when he first worked to 1.9K when he got retrenched) Now getting 2.6K after gaining working experience for 6-7 years. He is a diploma holder btw.

Dun think is a problem raising only 1 kid but if 2 kids then i am not too sure. We don't like the idea of loans and never borrow $ from others so far. That will be the last thing in our mind.

 

[thiasy]

Jefferson: If just a buffet after ROM, should be easy lah. If you go for external buffet,about $30++ onwards per pax? Currently resale flats are quite expensive. Even places which you quoted like jurong, yew tee need at least $15k to $20k for COV. If you are lucky, maybe can get it slightly cheaper. Better to cater more budget than less.

For me and my HTB, we are considered middle income in our late 20s. Quite thrifty pple by nature. We set aside $100k for wedding + renovation. After setting aside $100k, we still have substantial savings for family planning purpose... As for house,I got a new flat a few yrs ago...House loan instalment can be fully paid by CPF. Since no need to fork out cash, no need much planning.

Agree with bluemoon, I also don't like loans at all. Except for housing loan, I will not take any other loans. Better to spend within your means.

 

[daemonkoh]

hahaha avatar82,

u mentioned $100k. sure scare him off! Me too! Lucky it's all over. Now saving hard to go on honeymoon trip that i had missed

 

[thiasy]

hehe..it's not scary if you do a breakdown. For my $100k budget, the breakdown is wedding $55k and reno $45k. The wedding budget of $55k, i catered full loss for banquet, but it's quite unlikely to have so much losses because we will definitely receive some angpao from frens and relatives.. depend on the angpao received ultimately, my final wedding expenses might be around $30+k. On top of that, i going for a 3 weeks Europe honeymoon. I guess the bulk of my expenses are coming from banquet and honeymoon. Without these 2 items, I believe he can cap the cost within a $10k budget for wedding. Reno wise, depends on how extensive he wants it to be. Since he's going for resale, he might want to set aside at least $30k to $40k for reno + furniture + appliances. Hacking doesnt comes cheap. Plus COV of at least $20k. So I guess it is safe to at least set aside $70k in total? If split equally among the couple, each one need to cater $35k budget.

For house, if you are not in a hurry, it might still be better to get a new flat because it's much cheaper than resale flat without the need to fork out COV. if getting new flat, dont need too much renovation. Maybe you can set aside a budget of $30k to $40k?

It's always better to set aside a more conservative budget, rather than u spent already and later realised you don't have any savings left.

 

[sharepoint]

hi, bluemoon

You and your hubby combine income should be more than 5k and you think you have problem raising 2 kids? How much is enough to raise a baby or kid nowadays? $1k/mth? I only know that some money is needed for delivery and clinic visit for the initial stage, milk powder cannot be so expensive…although I just went shopping and came to know that there are tons of baby stuffs that are available…and ok...i didn’t know baby clothing are not cheap either with such a small piece of cloth…same for baby accessories..

 

[miloice]

sharepoint, some baby stuffs can be 'inherited' from friends and family members with kids that outgrown and no longer need them. No need to spend money to get everything brand new.

 

[jefferson_edison]

wah 100K ah. u people sure are sucessful in life.

Well bluemoon your case is like everything seems so fine for u. u got married early that's a blessing .

 

[sharepoint]

Hi. Milo
Inherited? You mean used or 2nd hand? That is something new to me, I thought parents would always buy new stuffs for their new born, is it very common? Hope people will not think I am cheapskate. My friends are definitely too young to have baby before….

 

[miloice]

Sharepoint, not at all. The baby will out grow the use of them pretty soon anyway.

 

[flyingstar]

sharepoint, this is a myth, but nonetheless, 2nd hand clothes are ok as people believe that it will help the baby 快高长大.

you don't have friends with babies, but how about cousins or relatives? now is the time to pool resources because having a baby can be money draining.

maybe you can get to know some of the mommies in the forum, they are able to offer you better advise.

 

[shannat]

hi sharepoint, if u breastfeed your baby, then u dont hv to spend a single cent on formula milk.

its free n its the best milk for your child too.
other items u can take hand me downs, because in the first few mths to few yrs, the baby grows very very fast. most clothes prob can fit a few weeks only. so buy bigger sizes, if u must. many mothers use hand me downs for their newborns, there is nth cheapskate abt it.

of cos certain things cant use 2ns hands like towels, hankies, milk btls, u know the more personal n hygiene stuffs. things like clothes, mittens, socks, pram, walker, etc all can be 2nd hand. some ppl give away or some sell at a very cheap price.

HTHs.

 

[thiasy]

Sharepoint: It's not cheapskate.. It's actually very common to use 2nd hand stuff. Baby grow v fast.. After a while, they can't wear it already. No point buying them new clothes. Babies won't know whether it's new or old anyway. hehe... Milk powder + diaper can be expensive too. heard that a can of milk powder cost at least $30 to $80 and it can only last for a week? Not sure how true is it. When the child is sick, doctor visits doesnt come cheap too. If you can save.. try to save lah.

Jefferson: Me and my HTB is just a normal middle income. Not the successful type.In fact, I came from low income family. So I was extra careful when it comes to savings and budgeting. 100k is actually not much given that there are a few major items to be settled together, unless you & your spouse are willing to compromise on lower budget or try to spread out the items in different phases.

Even for simple ROM, besides a catering venue, you might need to incur costs for outfits/Makeup/PG/Engagement rings/Pre Wedding photoshoot/Helper angpaos etc etc. It will be good to discuss with your partner on individual expectations before wedding preparation. This will be a good headstart to set a realistic budget. Happy preparing!

 

[ariel84]

I'm wondering, how did you all split your costs for the wedding?

My fiance already paid for the banquet deposit, housing deposit, ROM lunch. So I thought it's only fair that I pay for the Bridal Package and make-up. Perhaps, the photography we can share costs, as I don't earn a lot. But my friends told me I should let the man pay it, and afterall he will recover his loss for the banquet deposit??? Are my friends crazy to think that way or am I the "silly" one, as they said?

Just felt it's fair to share the costs as it's our wedding. Also, with our new house coming, we need to spend a lot on just reno and furniture.

 

[ariebeth]

Ariel:

I think your friends should stop giving you advice. They're obviously living in their own world. Isn't this the "his money is my money, my money is still my money" syndrome?

For my wedding and honeymoon, we're sharing the cost of everything. Sometimes I pay more, sometimes he pays more. I cannot imagine your friends leave him to pay for everything, and they spend their money on themselves?!

 

[ariel84]

AB, I think they just feel that the man should pay for everything.

One of my friends even criticize my fiance to me, and you know for what? Just because during one dinner at a foodcourt, I went to order and paid for his food while he waited at the table. That's because he was so darn tired that day after running around, but my friend felt that I shouldn't be letting him sit there while I serve and pay for his food (!?!?)

I had to explain so much to her because I don't her to go around telling others how "terrible" my fiance is. It's ridiculous...

 

[thiasy]

For me, everything like engagement ring/bridal package/honeymoon/PG/VG/bridal car/card printing and other miscellaneous expenses are strictly on 50/50 basis.

Except my parents being traditional, say that they wanted 10 tables for banquet. Hence, my HTB will foot the bill for the lunch banquet. HTB pay for GDL items/Proposal ring. HTB also bought me additional set of wedding jewellery on top of what his parents had bought for me.

Certain items which I wanted (Additional gowns/ His suits/ BTB & GTB shoes/ Makeup artist/ dessert reception/ deco/ dowry items/ accessories etc etc).. i pay in full.

Should be more or less quite fair lah.. although not totally equal.

 

[thommy]

ariel, for me its 50-50 for all the major items to be paid eg. COV, reno, furniture, BS package, hotel banquet. Those minor stuff sometimes I pay, sometimes my wife pays...we don't keep track of who pays more cos to me no point. We are not that calculative anyway.

Honestly, I feel sad that u have 'friends' like them. If I were u, I won't even bother to explain to them, let them think what they want.

 

[thiasy]

Ariel: 70% of the time, my HTB pay for movie/restaurant meals/presents. Sometimes, he will request that I pay or i offer to pay. haha..

hmm.. i guess there's nothing wrong to pay for his food bah. Everytime we go foodcourt, I will pay for his food cos i got discount prepaid card mah. Sometimes, I just go and order food for him and serve to him directly. Or else, i give him my card and he buy his food first. Only bad thing is when it's my turn to buy food and return to my table, he already finished eating. hahaha.. Probably too hungry bah.

I guess just give and take lah.. no right and wrong depends on the comfort level of the couple.

 

[ariel84]

Thomas, I also don't feel like explaining to them but I don't want them to have bad impression of my fiance. Sigh!

Avatar, I also feel it's perfectly normal for couples to pay for each other. Isn't that one of the nice things about being in a relationship? Just makes me feel sianz to have to "speak up" for my partner when my friend "catches" me paying for stuff.

 

[thiasy]

Actually don't bother to explain to your friends. They can think whatever they like.

Tell u a funny joke about my HTB. During one of our date, he was late for 1 hr plus. He took a taxi to our dating venue and on the way, he realised that he forgot to bring $$. He still call me to wait at the taxi stand to pay for his taxi fare. haha... If serving him dinner is very bad, how about making gf wait for hours and make her go to taxi stand and pay for cab fare? haha... Don't know why i nv get angry. Maybe he's too cute? hahaha..

 

[ariel84]

Avatar, haha that is cute... I would do the same as you too. But it may also depend on why he is late for 1hr, if it's because he cannot stop gaming, I will black face.

 

[shannat]

ariel: i think your friends r pretty material maybe? or they r still v old fashioned thinking tt guys shld pay for everything? no offence though, cos i hv friends like tt too, or rather, acquaintances.

in my case, me n htb r both saving up to pay for the wedding n hse. but bcos he knows i hv my other commitments (like my girl's expenses) and he earns more than me, so he will be forking out more money. we both agreed that both of us shld fork out money for our wedding expenses and hsing but also to each other's limititations.

unless your htb tells u, he dont mind paying all n tt he has the capability to fork out all the money at ease, then ok lor, if not, might be adding additional stress to him also.
so dont be bothered by what your friends say, its not their money nor wedding.