Wedding Dinner Banquet Cost

It is getting progressively more expensive to get married in Singapore. The high cost is enough to make one think twice about holding any ceremony. Getting a flat is expensive with property prices skyrocketing, and apparently the cost of dinner banquet has also increased by at least 10% or more.

Gone are the days where the bridal couple or family truly invite guests to share in the joyous occasion where food is catered by reputable restaurant or held at the restaurants. And guests will give the red packets containing money to the couple with words of blessing or well wishes on the paper.

Now it is the norm to hold the dinner in hotels' ballrooms, with some serving awful food. The ambience and location are more of a consideration, rather than the food. And with it being held in such places, the cost has risen considerably and soon people start to give the red packet to the couple containing money which will hopefully be able to help them defray the cost of throwing a bash.

It is sad when guests now dread receiving the "red bomb" aka wedding invitation as that will mean guests will have to fork out a huge sum (in relation to their income) for an unexpected expense. When I first received my wedding invitation back in 1999 (yes, my ex-classmate married young - 22 only!), I didn't know the so called procedures at all. With my mind filled with all the Western style weddings, I only thought of buying wedding gifts or through a registry if there is one available here. But no, you are supposed to give a red packet which will cover your dinner. And even if you give extra, those extras usually do not get into their hands, especially if their parents helped to foot the bill or if other people "under give" and that extra will cover the shortfall.

So back in the late 90s, early 2000s, it seemed like $60 is acceptable for the 2-3 stars or restaurants type of places/hotels. Then $80-$100 to the 4-5 stars hotels, particularly in the Orchard Road/Marina Bay areas. Ritz Carlton and Shangri-La are better known to have tables exceeding $1000, so you will need to give $120 or so. To someone earning maybe $2K-$3k+ a month, those can be a lot, especially if you have a few weddings to attend in the same period. What about families (usually relatives) who only earn $5k or less a month? And they tend to bring their families of 4 or 5. Are they able to afford $500 for just 1 dinner? They are in a tough situation. If they don't attend, it seemed like they are not giving face. So they attend and maybe give $200 for their troop of 4.

And of course you hear of those couple who actually made a "profit" on the dinner cos some relatives were very generous to give $1000 or more. It has become very disgustingly very much a business transaction and people peg you to what you gave, without considering the venue the couple chose and whether the people they invited can actually afford to help them cover the cost. Though in an ideal world, the couple will not even think about the guests having to help them foot the bill. And if the guests are supposed to write their names and well wishes on the red packets (I prefer it to be anonymous actually though it has been drummed into my head I have to write otherwise they will think I did not even give a red packet), then the bridal couple should jolly well send "thank you" cards together with the pictures taken during dinner to the guests within 1 month of the event.

This is really basic manners. You send invitation cards, you also send thank you card after the event. The photo will be appreciated, because otherwise, what is the point of taking pictures during dinner with people you most likely do not even know? The cost of printing the photos should not be a deterrent, you are getting married. Cost is part and parcel of it. And now with digital cameras, they can be uploaded and the guests can pay for the prints themselves if the hosts are too tightfist about it.

Okay, my rant on wedding dinners done. But seriously, wedding dinners are getting to be a chore, unless you are really close to the couple or if attending it means you will be able to meet other long time friends, then it might be better. It is even more appreciated if the couple actually mingles with the guests during the cocktail reception. Most of the time, you see the bride closeting up in the suite and hardly get to talk to her during the night. The groom is most likely to be around. In this instance, I like my sister's style. She actually came down early to mingle and talk to her friends and guests (it helped that she was bored up in the suite too :p)

Okay, the new cost of wedding dinner banquets for 2008:

Basically most of the hotels in the Orchard/Marina areas have increased the prices that a typical table on a weekend night is around $1000 or more now, excluding the +++.

The rates were from an article in The New Paper published on 30 Dec 2007.

Oh, and someone in the industry just informed me that for St. Regis, they are charging at least $1,200 a table (not sure if that was for a weekday or weekend rate), so I would think it will be in the same league as Fullerton, Ritz Carlton and Shangri-La too.

Let me list down the rates since the table is not very sharp:
Fullerton - $1375
Shangri-La - $1275
Mandarin Oriental - $1250
Ritz-Carlton - $1234
Raffles Hotel - $1163
Four Seasons - $1116
Inter-Continental - $1116
Conrad - $1340 for table of 12
Sheraton - $1257 for table of 12
Marriott - $1116
Pan Pacific - $1057
Chijmes - $1033
Grand Hyatt - $1022
Swissotel the Stamford - $1000
Grand Copthorne Waterfront - $999
Orchard Hotel - $999
Marina Mandarin - $988
Meritus Mandarin -$988
Carlton - $928
M Hotel - $898
Hilton - $888
Holiday Inn Park View - $788
Park Royal on Beach Road - $788
Furama City Center - $678
Furama RiverFront - $669

So one can hardly give a $60 red packet now. It seemed like the minimum is now $80 and likely $120 or more for those in the Orchard/Marina belt.

Some guests also do not realize that the cost is more or less the same even if the couple opts for a western set meal. I have organized enough events to know that most set meals are around $85+++ or more. The cheapest I have found is still $65+++ or $75+++ per person.

All I can say is that throwing a wedding banquet is expensive and the couple should factor in the cost and not rely on guests to help in footing the bill. So that whatever the guests give will truly seemed like a gift.