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"How much do I put in the angbao?"
This has been a commonly debated topic among wedding-goers.
It was also something discussed by Zoe Tay, Guo Liang, YES 933 DJ Zhu Zeliang and host Seow Sin Nee on the latest episode of "The Zoe and Liang Show".
Seow began the discussion by sharing how she learnt that weddings could be "profitable" in her economics class.
Zhu chimed in and explained how some couples online would carefully plan their wedding guest list to specifically invite guests of certain background.
"You have to invite the right guests, you can't invite just anyone. Invite 'people with background'. For example, people like your boss, who'd usually give you a handsome sum," Zhu said, according to content he watched.
Hearing such modern tactics deployed by couples, Tay shared that she only invited friends and close colleagues for her wedding with RSAF pilot Philip Chionh.
The couple's wedding was held in 2001 at luxury hotel The Ritz-Carlton, as seen from a rostrum featured in the 11-minute video posted by Tay in November 2022.
Screenshot via Zoe Tay's Instagram.
Screenshot via Zoe Tay's Instagram.
Screenshot via Zoe Tay's Instagram.
The actress also clarified that she did not make any "profit" from her wedding.
"To be honest, I didn't make any money. People thought my wedding was fully sponsored. But that wasn't the case. I paid for everything," she revealed.
This led Guo to joke that she might have received a S$2 red packet, to which Tay revealed that she did receive a S$20 red packet.
This, however, did not matter to Tay.
"I was fine with it lah. I invited them because I wanted to. If you came, you were there to give me your blessings," she explained.
She continued, "But nowadays, the meaning of gifting red packets has changed."
Zhu added that many couples try to "break even" the amount they spend on the wedding.
According to Guo, wedding-goers are taking details like the location of the wedding, rating of the hotel and type of food served as into consideration when deciding on how much to give in a red packet.
Whether the ceremony is conducted during lunch, dinner or afternoon tea time also affects the amount given in the red packet, Tay added.
“I think this comes to show that people these days think practically," said Guo.
Top image via MeWATCH and Zoe Tay's Instagram.