Weddings in Singapore are expensive affairs, but it’s widely acknowledged that it’s pricey not just for the bridal couple, but for guests too.
And the question of how much to give at a wedding has spawned countless online debates, articles and spreadsheets indicating the cost of a table at various banquet venues around Singapore.
The latter has proven invaluable in providing guests with an indication of how much they should put into their red packets in order to “cover” the bridal couple’s cost.
Local YouTuber Annette Lee, in her self-created persona of Chantelle, recently jumped in the fray with her own take on the five types of wedding guests deemed “toxic”.
Annette describes Chantelle as a character who’s “a pretentious and sometimes obnoxious influencer”.
And what else is a bride like Chantelle expected to do when counting her wedding red packets than to place certain guests in a “toxic list” — her code word it seems, for “those who didn’t give enough money”.
so chantelle got married recently and whoever gave her these angbaos… you’re officially on her toxic list ✍????????
♬ original sound – Annette Lee
“$100? I gave her $150 at her wedding last year,” criticises Chantelle, “and it wasn’t even a banquet like ours, it was at some lousy cafe”. Ouch.
“$288 for their whole family of five? Did they think it’s one of those restaurants where the children eat for free?” Ba-dum-tss.
“Toxic” too, says Chantelle, are those who give red packets in foreign currency (other than US dollars), and red packets with inauspicious numbers.
“$499? Is it he wants me to die for a long long time?” Chantelle decries.
The only real “toxic” guest we agree with, however, is the one who gives “a $200 voucher to her own blogshop, with a $500 minimum spend”.
That’s just “high-key shady,” as one commenter puts it.
PHOTO: Screengrab from TikTok/Annetteandafish
Annette’s video, posted to TikTok on Friday (Aug 5) has drawn more than 200 comments, most of them appreciating the humorous social commentary.
The skit has expectedly, sparked another debate in the comments section on the issue of whether guests should be expected to help the bridal couple pay for the wedding.
“Jokes aside, a wedding is not a chance for you to collect back your expenses. Do your wedding sincerely without expectation,” wrote one user.
PHOTO: Screengrab from TikTok/Annetteandafish
But this drew a reply from the other side of the fence, that it’s all about the R-E-S-P-E-C-T: “It’s not really about collecting back or anything. It’s like a sign of respect. You give me less angbao, means you respect me less.”
PHOTO: Screengrab from TikTok/Annetteandafish
At least there’s one bright spot in the whole debacle. As Chantelle says, “They can be rest assured that I’m never inviting any of them to my future weddings ever again!”
This article was first published on AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.
