Yahoo Finance Wedding Ang Bao Rates in Singapore (2019) – How Much Should You Give?
Wedding dinners in Singapore can sometimes be a mercenary affair. Even if you never spend more than $5 on meals and always make a beeline for the cai png stall, you’re expected to shell out a 3-figure sum in your wedding ang bao whenever someone you know gets married.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that ang baos are purely a gift from the heart. In Singapore, your ang bao symbolises your well-wishes as well as covers the cost of your seat at the banquet table.
Though the couple might not admit it, usually they will be praying that you do not make them “lose money” by giving less than it cost them to invite you.
How much should you put in a wedding ang bao?
The first thing you need to do is to calculate the cost of your seat. This varies depending on how swanky the wedding venue is – there’s usually a published rate per table for wedding banquets.
Since each table seats 10 guests, divide the price by 10 to figure out how much the happy couple is paying for your presence.
If you’re not close to the couple, e.g. your secondary school friend you haven’t met up with in 10 years, a distant cousin you never see outside of CNY gatherings, a colleague who only invited you because he felt obliged to invite the entire team… it is considered socially acceptable for your ang bao to just cover the cost of your seat.
But if you’re close to the couple, you are generally expected to cover the cost of your seat, and then some. How much more you give depends on your relationship with the couple. Sworn blood brothers deserve a higher ang-bao mark-up than that friend-of-a-friend who shows up occasionally at group gatherings.
Too lazy to calculate? It’s OK, we’ve done the work. Use our handy guide below to determine the cost per guest. The ang bao rates are determined by prices for Saturdays, usually the most expensive day.
If you get an invitation for a wedding lunch rather than a wedding dinner at a hotel, rejoice! Ang pao rates are anywhere between $30 and $50 cheaper for lunches. However, there is little price difference between lunch and dinner for Chinese restaurants.
Wedding ang bao rates for Singapore hotels (2019)
Arranged in alphabetical order
Hotels | Saturday | Sunday | ||
Sat lunch | Sat dinner | Sun lunch | Sun dinner | |
Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa | $175 to $222 | $198 to $222 | $175 to $222 | $198 to $222 |
Amara Singapore | $140 to $175 | $156 to $175 | $156 to $175 | $156 to $175 |
Andaz Singapore | $199 | $243 | $199 | $232 |
Capella Singapore | $210 | $246 | $210 | $246 |
Carlton Hotel Singapore | $127 to $174 | $139 to $174 | $127 to $174 | $139 to $174 |
Changi Cove Hotel | $109 to $152 | $114 to $152 | $109 to $152 | $114 to $152 |
Concorde Hotel Singapore | $118 | $148 | $118 | $140 |
Conrad Centennial Singapore (table of 10 for lunch, 12 for dinner) | $152 to $179 | $170 to $181 | $152 to $179 | $170 to $181 |
Copthorne King’s Hotel Singapore | $105 to $130 | $116 to $142 | $116 to $142 | $105 to $130 |
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport | $132 | $158 | $132 | $158 |
Fairmont Singapore and Swissotel The Stamford | $146 to $293 | $175 to $293 | $146 to $293 | $175 to $293 |
Four Points by Sheraton | $152 to $175 | $152 to $175 | $152 to $175 | $152 to $175 |
Four Seasons Hotel Singapore | $168 to $175 | $190 to $230 | $168 to $175 | $185 to $222 |
Furama City Centre Singapore | $101 | $125 | $101 | $119 |
Furama Riverfront Singapore | $116 | $140 to $150 | $113 | $138 to $146 |
Genting Hotel Jurong | $93 to $119 | $105 to $119 | $93 to $119 | $105 to $119 |
Goodwood Park Hotel | $163 | $190 | $163 | $185 |
Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel | $114 to $133 | $114 to $133 | $114 to $133 | $114 to $133 |
Grand Hyatt Singapore | $175 | $222 | $175 | $210 |
Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy | $93 to $99 | $105 to $110 | $93 to $99 | $105 to $110 |
Hilton Singapore | $138 | $147 | $138 | $147 |
Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium | $116 | $136 | $116 | $136 |
Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre | $123 | $143 | $123 | $143 |
Hotel Fort Canning | $126 to $155 | $158 to $179 | $126 to $155 | $146 to $167 |
Hotel Jen Tanglin Singapore by Shangri La | $119 to $163 | $146 to $163 | $119 to $163 | $146 to $163 |
Intercontinental Singapore | $178 | $222 | $178 | $222 |
JW Marriot Hotel Singapore | $210 to $258 | $234 to $258 | $210 to $258 | $234 to $258 |
Le Meridien, Sentosa | $199 to $281 | $222 to 281 | $199 to $281 | $222 to 281 |
M Hotel | $108 to $143 | $125 to $153 | $108 to $143 | $122 to $150 |
Mandarin Orchard Singapore | $149 to $205 | $187 to $205 | $149 to $205 | $179 to $205 |
Mandarin Oriental Singapore | $179 | $207 | $178 | $188 |
Marina Bay Sands | $134 | $163 to $187 | $134 | $163 to $187 |
Marina Mandarin Singapore | $135 to $147 | $159 | $135 to $147 | $159 |
Mercure Singapore Bugis | $171 | $182 | $171 | $182 |
Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay | $126 | $152 | $126 | $152 |
Novotel Singapore on Stevens | $134 | $169 | $134 | $169 |
Oasia Hotel Novena Singapore | $115 | $127 | $115 | $127 |
One Farrer Hotel | $146 | $169 | $146 | $169 |
One 15 Marina Sentosa Cove | $109 | $134 to $152 | $109 | $128 to $152 |
Orchard Hotel Singapore | $146 to $158 | $187 to $199 | $146 to $158 | $175 to $187 |
Pan Pacific Singapore | $147 to $156 | $188 to $193 | $147 to $156 | $170 to $175 |
Park Hotel Alexandra | $113 | $125 | $113 | $125 |
Park Hotel Clarke Quay | $120 to $125 | $130 to $134 | $120 to $125 | $130 to $134 |
Parkroyal on Beach Road | $136 | $168 | $136 | $156 |
Parkroyal on Kitchener Road | $105 | $122 | $105 | $122 |
Parkroyal on Pickering | $161 to $235 | $193 to $235 | $161 to $235 | $193 to $235 |
Peninsula Excelsior Hotel | $93 to $140 | $105 to $152 | $93 to $140 | $105 to $152 |
Raffles Hotel | $199 | $222 | $199 | $222 |
Regent Singapore | $146 | $163 | $136 | $153 |
Rendezvous Hotel Singapore | $134 | $147 | $134 | $147 |
Royal Plaza on Scotts | $140 to $151 | $140 to $151 | $140 to $151 | $140 to $151 |
Shangri-La Hotel | $187 to $293 | $222 to $293 | $187 to $293 | $222 to $293 |
Sheraton Towers Singapore | $161 | $185 | $161 | $169 |
Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel | $158 | $187 | $158 | $187 |
Sofitel Singapore City Centre | $192 to $210 | $216 to $234 | $192 to $210 | $210 to $234 |
Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa | $192 | $216 | $192 | $210 |
Swissotel Merchant Court Singapore | $134 | $168 | $134 | $156 |
The Fullerton Hotel Singapore | $176 to $180 | $199 to $200 | $176 to $180 | $199 to $200 |
The Ritz Carlton, Millenia Singapore | $187 | $221 | $187 | $221 |
The St Regis Singapore | $174 to $199 | $246 to $288 | $174 to $199 | $234 to $256 |
The Westin Singapore | $168 | $199 | $168 | $192 |
Village Hotel Changi | $108 | $122 | $108 | $122 |
Village Hotel Katong | $112 | $123 | $112 | $123 |
W Singapore | $190 | $226 to $233 | $109 | $202 |
York Hotel | $103 to $124 | $113 to $134 | $103 to $124 | $113 to $134 |
The most expensive wedding angbao rate stands at $246 to $288 per pax at The St Regis, while the most affordable is Grand Mercure at Roxy.
Although it used to be that Sunday lunches and dinners are slightly cheaper, these days it seems to be similar to Saturday’s rates for at least 75% of the hotels listed.
Weirdly, Hotel Fort Canning charges less for Sunday dinner compared to Sunday lunch.
If you are attending a banquet on a weekday from Mondays to Fridays, prices might differ.
Wedding ang bao rates 2019 (restaurants/other venues)
Restaurant / wedding venue | Sat lunch | Sat dinner | Sun lunch | Sun dinner |
Peony Jade at Clarke Quay | $94 | $126 | $100 | $136 |
Qian Xi Joy Garden | $71 to $113 | $71 to $113 | $71 to $113 | $71 to $113 |
Ban Heng Pavilion | $70 to $119 | $70 to $119 | $70 to $119 | $70 to $119 |
Ah Yat Seafood | $64 to $104 | $64 to $104 | $64 to $104 | $64 to $104 |
Tung Lok Seafood (Orchard Central) | $63 to $95 | $63 to $95 | $63 to $95 | $63 to $95 |
Lingzhi Vegetarian | $50 to $66 | $50 | ||
CHIJMES Hall | $193 to $215 | $193 to $215 | $181 to $203 | $181 to $203 |
Orchid Country Club | $102 to $107 | $119 to $130 | $102 to $107 | $102 to $107 |
Serangoon Gardens Country Club | $69 to $129 | $69 to $129 | $69 to $129 | $69 to $129 |
Faber Peak Singapore | $139 to $151 | $174 | $139 to $151 | $174 |
Can’t find the venue on the list? Then give the hotel/restaurant a call and ask them how much a banquet table would cost.
Bear in mind that lunch and dinner prices are often different, while banquets on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays will be higher than those on Mondays to Thursdays.
How much to give at Malay weddings?
While an appropriate contribution will vary according to the cost of the venue and how “atas” your friends are, traditional Malay weddings tend to be a bit more relaxed. The meal is usually served in the form of a buffet with free seating, so you do not need to worry about having to cover the cost of your “seat”. Although, this might be changing for some modern families as well.
Generally, a contribution of $30 to $50 is the minimum. On the other end of the scale, the sky is the limit if you are close to the couple.
How much to give at Indian weddings?
The answer is, it depends on the venue and where the reception is being held. The standard format is for the actual wedding to take place at a temple, and a reception to be held later on, typically at a hotel, function hall or restaurant.
You should generally budget for a contribution of at least $50 to $80 for receptions at temples and function halls.
If they’re held at high end hotels, you’ll have to give similar amounts to the rates quoted for wedding banquets above.
You should also add a $1 coin to your contribution, as offering a sum that ends in 1 is seen as auspicious.
How much to give at church weddings?
Regardless of race, if the wedding is held at a church, there may or may not a follow-up lunch or dinner banquet at a hotel or restaurant. If there is no banquet, there will usually be some kind of reception on the church premises.
If the entire wedding takes place at the church, you can get away with contributing about $40 to $50.
If there is also a banquet, refer to the ang bao rates in the table above.
How do you usually decide how much ang bao money to give at weddings? Tell us in the comments!
Related articles
Singapore Wedding Banquet Price List (2019 Edition)
Received Another Wedding Invite? Here’s How to Deal Without Going Broke
8 Alternative Wedding Venues in Singapore That Don’t Cost A Bomb (2019)
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