How We Calculate Singapore Wedding Ang Bao Amounts
Our calculator gives a defensible middle estimate based on three inputs: the venue's nett seat cost, your relationship to the couple, and the day of the wedding. Here is exactly how the maths works and how we source our data.
The formula
base_seat_cost = nett_per_pax(venue, meal_type, day_type) relationship_topup = +$0 to +$150 (see table) day_adjustment = +$0 to +$30 (see table) plus_one_factor = 1 (solo) | 2 (couple) | N (family of N) subtotal = (base_seat_cost + relationship_topup + day_adjustment) × plus_one_factor suggested = round_up_auspicious(subtotal)
We always round up to the next auspicious value. Better to be slightly generous than to short the couple.
Converting venue prices to nett per pax
Singapore wedding venues publish prices in three formats. We normalise all of them to a single nett-per-pax figure (what the couple actually pays per seat, inclusive of service charge and GST).
| Listed format | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Per-table "++" | (raw / 10) × 1.10 × 1.09 |
| Per-pax "++" | raw × 1.10 × 1.09 |
| Per-pax "+" | raw × 1.09 |
| Per-pax nett | raw × 1 |
- 10% service charge — Singapore F&B industry standard.
- 9% GST — current IRAS rate effective Jan 2024.
- Standard banquet table seats 10 guests.
Relationship top-ups
Above the seat cost, we add a small relationship-based amount. This reflects the Singapore convention that closer relations give more.
| Relationship | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Acquaintance / casual colleague | -$10 |
| Regular colleague | $0 |
| Friend | +$20 |
| Close friend | +$50 |
| Cousin / extended family | +$50 |
| Bridal party / best friend | +$80 |
| Sibling / immediate family | +$150 (midpoint of $100–$200) |
| Cannot attend — well-wishes only | Flat $50–$100 |
Day / occasion adjustments
Saturday dinners and public holidays cost the couple more per seat, so guests adjust accordingly. Auspicious dates (per the Chinese lunar calendar) often see a small bump as a sign of goodwill.
| Weekday lunch | $0 |
| Weekday dinner | +$10 |
| Saturday dinner | +$20 |
| Eve of public holiday | +$20 |
| Public holiday | +$30 |
| Auspicious date | +$20 |
Auspicious round-up ladder
We round up to the next auspicious number. All values end in 8 (or pair-friendly digits) and skip anything containing the digit 4.
Why no 4? 四 (sì) sounds like 死 (sǐ — "death") in Mandarin, Hokkien and Cantonese. Why 8? 八 (bā) rhymes with 发 (fā — "prosperity").
Source verification policy
Wedding banquet prices are not always publicly listed, and they shift with the seasons. We label every rate with one of four source types:
Official listed
Price published directly on the venue's own wedding page or PDF brochure. Re-checked every 90 days.
Secondary
Aggregator sites and industry estimates (e.g. wedding planning publications, third-party listings). Re-checked every 90 days.
Community-verified
Estimates corroborated by multiple recent guest reports. Re-checked every 180 days.
Unverified
No public quote available. Re-checked every 365 days. Use for guidance only.
Important caveats
- The "match the seat cost" convention is for Chinese wedding banquets only. Malay (duit salam, $10–$70) and Indian wedding traditions follow different giving conventions — we will add dedicated calculators in a future release.
- Your relationship to the couple matters more than getting the exact seat cost. Treat the calculator as a defensible starting point.
- Tea ceremonies and jewellery exchange (for immediate family) follow separate conventions outside the scope of this calculator.
- If the calculator says $888 and that feels out of reach, give what you can — the couple invited you because they want you there, not for the ang bao.
Found an error?
If you have first-hand pricing from a venue we cover (or a venue we don't), tell us. We log every rate change in a Git-versioned changelog and re-issue the page.