How much money to give at a Malay Wedding

This Sunday, I’ll be attending my JC best buddy’s wedding. This is the first wedding invitation I received from friends of my age, and this will also be my life’s first malay wedding. Now after looking at the invitation, I immediately had 2 concerns I hadn’t thought about it before

1)      How much red packet do I need to pay?

2)      The time states 11am-5pm, Must I be there for the entire duration?

I believe these couple of concerns would be echoed by many, so I’m here to share my “research” (trust me, I’m an engineer)

How much red packet do I need to pay?

When it comes to money, it’s always a sensitive issue. There is always the balance between the tight budget constraints of a student and not wanting to give too little and embarrass yourself. However after reading the forum and asking my malay friends, I begin to realize money shouldn’t be the issue for a Malay wedding in the first place.

Culturally for Chinese weddings, the dinner is held in posh hotels/restaurants and it is good manners to give more than the cost of the table. Interestingly, the first thing is to register at the reception where there will be people to guide you. At the same time, they will collect your red packet and record your name on the red packet. This naturally is about the amount you are giving, as it will become a “face” issue.

For a malay wedding, it is culturally different, the size of the red packet does not matter. The bride and groom are less particular about money, but more interested in seeing you turn up for the occasion, as your presence is very much appreciated by them.

It seems like a $20 red packet will do. For my best buddy, I’m giving him a $50.

Must I be there for the entire duration?

I would recommend to check with your friend(the bride/groom) and see what time to turn up. For my case, even though the invitation writes 11am-5pm, my friend asked me to come only after 2.45pm. So, no harm checking first!

Hope this helps guys!

EUFASS