Guide to Cost of Getting in Singapore

I just got married earlier this year, and it is after 2 years of planning that we finally tied our knot.

Before we even started planning, we were full of question marks especially financially. Like how much is sufficient for the type of wedding we wanted.
Of course, everyone have their dream of having a fairytale-like wedding but trust me, money will weigh your shoulders down and pull you from fairytale to reality.

As a rule of thumb, every couple should respect their financial status and strike a balance between having their dream wedding and spending as they can afford.

There is simply no point of you to exhaust your savings or even go into debt just to make sure you get married to impress everyone else and making everyone happy except the two of you.

I hope this guide I am creating serves as an indication, but please note this should not be THE ONLY POINT OF REFERENCE. It took my wife and I months of research and homework, tons of discussions and respect and of course, endless effort and accommodation before we finally got ready for our big day. In short, you have to put in effort for your big day.

List of Items
Some of the items you need, some you don’t. It’s entirely subjected to each individual couple needs, wants and desire.
Let’s start with the very first ‘Point of Contact’.

Proposal Ring (For the MAN) – From S$1,000 and above
To be honest, there is no boundaries on both the lower and upper limit. Afterall, this is THE RING that is supposed to get you your wife (excluding that the BTO that both of you have already applied). The fact that I points to S$1000 is because at the very least, you ought to make sure your proposal ring is decent (more expensive that than wedding band that you are going to get in future). WOMAN goes crazy over the carat whereas there’s more to that diamond ring – colour, cut, ring size etc. Do your research and if possible, get hints from your potential wife on her liking before you make this investment. Someone once told me, a proposal ring should cost you 3 months of your salary, but to me, I believe it’s about striking a balance of what you can afford and what she would like.

TIPS: There are many aspects of the diamond ring that cannot be seen with a naked eye. If there’s any factor to consider when buying, fortunately or unfortunately, it’s the CARAT. Other factors can potentially be secondary, depends on you. That way, some cost can be saved, if you get what I mean.

Wedding Package – From S$3,000 to S$6,000
This should include things like Wedding Gowns, Groom’s Attires, Actual Photo-shoot, Photo Album and Photo Frames.

Some companies offer more perks and items, some offer less. Basic local photo-shoot with the basic choice of gowns and attires should cost a couple the region of S$3,000. Going overseas to shoot (such as Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia) will cost you more. Of course, there are couples who engages the services for overseas shoot and rental of gowns and attires separately got their wedding photo-shoot and those would cost A LOT more, depending on the destination and the number of gowns and attire rented.

TIPS: With competition so tight for business in this field/area, you are almost in an advantage. Therefore, negotiation is a MUST to save. Sometimes, it’s not just discount but do negotiate by asking for a higher number of photos, additional attire/gowns, more locations etc. All these items are cost and sometimes, they are able to give you if you ask in order to secure your business. Especially the number of photos. Remember, selling you additional photos are how they/photographers earn too and these photos aren’t cheap. They can cost between S$50 to over S$100 over photo, so, think thrice about it.

Guo Da Li (过大礼) – From S$100 to S$300
This is very dependent on the families of both sides and of course based on the respective tradition. Common betrothal packages are available. do your research online to check what's included.

Bride Price (聘金) – From $188 to S$8,888
This is subjected to after discussion with the bride's parents. Amount have to be decent and presentable, at the same time, considering the financial situation of the Groom side as well.

Wedding Bands – From S$1,500 to S$4,000
Imagine buying a proposal ring but this time, multiply by you because it’s buying for both the husband and wife to be. Usually, wedding bands cost cheaper than proposal ring because of the lack or smaller/poorer quality of diamonds on the wedding bands. The trend as it seems is many are going for Pure Silver with some couples even going for exotic colour such as rose gold with engravings etc. This is something you are going to wear for life, so be prepared to see scratches on your ring within just months from your wedding so that you won’t freak down on spending grands and then feeling all heartpain.

TIPS: Find something simpler which simply equates to cheaper as well. Afterall, one won’t want to be wearing expensive ring every day and doing chores or attending meeting with those blings. There are some ladies who wear their proposal ring with wedding band as well, therefore, they purposely chose a very simple wedding band to complement the proposal ring. You decide.

Videography/Video-grapher - From S$1,000 to S$4,000
Such service has its variety. It range to a simple day shoot to a carefully plotted script and videoshoot which involves both pre and actual wedding.

Some couples wants to capture only the actual day moment, whereas some would want to incorporate some essence and meaning even from the pre wedding onwards leading up to the actual day.

Wedding Solemnization – From S$1,500 to S$5,000
The items will include rental of gown, attire, venue, photographer and decoration. The cost actually differs depending on the number of pax attending your ROM and the style. The higher the number, the most expensive it will be, which equates to you having to book a larger space and catering more food/cocktail reception to it. Photographer price varies too. They can range from S$500 for semi-pro photographer to over S$1,500 for a very professional one. Lots of venue/cafes/restaurants host ROM and they do offer packages on that, therefore, it would be wise to check their inclusions to see if it fits your requirements. Of course, those on the lower budget, simply pop in to ROM and register, followed by a cost luncheon etc.

TIPS: Combine your ROM with your wedding banquet in the same day if you want/need. That way, you definitely save cost. However, if the both of you still decide that you want to hold them separately, discuss well on what are the style you want and how simple/grand you want it to be, and of course, DECIDE the number of pax attending. Usually, ROM should be a cosier affair than the banquet.

Wedding Car Rental – From S$200 to S$5,000
From the rental of an ordinary sedan car which would potentially cost you the region of S$200 to rental of Rolls Royce for that few hours which cost the upper limit, you decide.

TIPS: The amount of time you are going to spend on that rented car are almost second to none. You will probably be thinking on 'what's next' before you even get to enjoy the air-con of the rented car. Most likely, it's for 'photograph or video' sake. If possible, borrow a car from someone you know at a friendship price, if possible, at your own risk, of course.

Wedding Banquet – From S$20,000 to S$70,000
Can you see the vast difference in price? Basically, the price range is due to two main factors – number of pax and the venue. If you are rich and can afford, St Regis, Fullerton, Capella are always there for you, or if you are on the tighter budget, you can try nice Chinese restaurants. The number of pax does affect, imagine the difference of 20 tables and 30 tables, that’s a whopping 100 pax. Imagine the cost per pax estimated to be between $80 to $150 per pax, that’s like $8,000 to $15,000 difference. So be wise, know who you want to invite, ask for your parents’ consultation as well because it’s going to involve relatives and their friends (sometimes) as well.

Some couples may try and do fanciful stuff such as photo booth, candy car, live bands as well, which will significantly add up to the total damage to your wedding banquet. Of course, couples do get red packets back, but subject to family and tradition customs, some couples get to offset the banquet entirely, some partially whereas some don’t. Therefore, do consider all that when selecting your venue and deciding it.

TIPS: Do your maths and do it very well. For those couples who get to keep the red packets, make sure you 'forecast' the amount you potentially can get. Singaporeans are rather 自动 when it comes to giving red packets, except for a few, so if you are able to 'forecast' well against your spendings, you should be able to reduce your financial burden significantly.

Honeymoon – From S$1,000 and above
It depends on where the both of you wants to travel. There are some couple who spend so much on their wedding that they compromise on their honeymoon. Cheaper destinations such as Bali, Boracay cost cheaper. Whereas some couples scrimp and spend as necessary for their wedding so that they can splurge and indulge big on their wedding by flying to destinations such as Maldives, USA, Europe etc.

Additional Information
I included these items for reference only. Some couples engage/do it, some don't. Entirely up to you.

Pre Marriage Screening – From S$200 and 600
It’s not a situation where I don’t trust you, so you better get it check. To some, it’s a responsibility to make sure you are healthy, and also to some, it’s part of family planning. Whatever it is, this serves as a peace of mind and also an assurance to each other to commit to/for the future.

Brothers & Sisters Attire – From S$200 to S$1000
Couples nowadays are just getting more creative. Some couples have as many as 10 brothers and 10 sisters, whereas some would prefer keeping it simple. Also to match wedding theme, some couples even wanted their brothers and sisters to wear matching clothes and attire. Basically, the cost should be indicative and reflective of price of an ordinary attire anyway.

TIPS: Some clothes cost cheaper when buying wholesale and/or online. Do your homework and you might just get savings.

So at the very least, you need approx S$30,000 cash per couple to get married and go for a honeymoon. Of course, this lower limit is just an indication, not including those red packets you might get back to. Couples who do get back their red packets usually get anywhere between 50% to over 100%, depending on the venue and 'types' of guest you are inviting too.