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Weddings could come at the cost of relationships
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As such costs and hongbao “market rates” rise, making expectations clear may be the only way to protect relationships.
ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA
SINGAPORE – At one of the weddings I attended in 2025, friends asked one another if we had followed the hongbao “market rate” guide that can be found online.
The guide lists the different rates for different hotels. Lunch weddings cost less hongbao-wise, from $100 to $200, compared with dinner weddings which can breach $400 for dinner guests in red packet obligations.
