Monday 31 January 2011

The price of getting hitched

I attended two weddings and one engagement ceremony this month. The weddings are those of my former co-workers while the engagement is that of my niece that I have posted about previously. All these events were held at different parts of the country (Temerloh, Tangkak and Melaka) and it was interesting to observe the different ways people celebrate such occassions.

Wedding and engagement ceremonies in the big cities such as KL and JB can be elaborate affairs. The scale of such events depend entirely on what the families can afford. But nowadays, I note that the average asking price of the `wang hantaran' the prospective groom has to fork out is around RM10k, and even that I am told, is towards the bottom end of the range. It is not too surprising to hear asking price of RM15,000.

During my day in the late '80s, five-figure wang hantaran are the realm of the rich and famous only.

I have three sons. I wonder how much the rate would be when their time comes to get hitched...

01.01.11 (Temerloh) : Bride Zalina Mohamed getting the final touch-up

30.01.11(Melaka) : Groom Norfaizal Khafid (ex-colleague) and bride Norahayu, at the bride's house.

11 comments:

Nin said...

Ye la Oldstock, kesian our young men because the cost of getting married is too high these days. Tu baru hantaran, belum belanja kenduri lagi. Ish ish ish...

3yearshousewife said...

Nowadays, orang kawin are very glamourous, almost celebrity wedding like. I guess the least to spend must be around 25K. Some of my ex students claimed 'camne nak kawin, PTPTN pun belum habis bayar'. Pity them.

Fadhil said...

Nin, nowadays kalau pihak lelaki nak offer RM5k, sure kena gelak...

Fadhil said...

As, tu yg kesian kat most of our young men who just completed their studies. Baru dapat kerja, gaji pun tak seberapa. Sampai nak kahwin, tambah hutang lagi.... aduh...

Nurie said...

In saudi, the expectation is that, men must not only cover the wedding cost but also have to provide a house and a car for the bride!
My 2 cents view, we should focus more on the wajib things rather than people's expectations and material thingy...

Fadhil said...

Noor, I feel sorry for the Saudi guys but on the other hand the Saudi girls can't have everything their way either. Tapi pak arab saudi kan orang2 kaya... kira takpe la tu...

HLiza said...

Bila saya cadangkan supaya ditiadakan hantaran2 yg menbazir dan lebih menunjuk2 tu semua org tak setuju..buang adatlah katanya..so nak buat camne..

Fadhil said...

Ye lah Ibu Hliza, biasanya yang pentingkan hantaran mahal-mahal tu ialah mak dan makcik2 pengantin... kalau tak buat nanti dikatakan sebagai kedekut sangat...

Aida Marie Mohamad said...

I am with HLiza on banning the hantaran. Spend money to show off? I don't get it. It is better spent on a down payment for a house or car.

Oldstock, I hope your sons will dapat jodoh dengan girls whose mothers can be reasoned with.

Fadhil said...

Salam Aida,

When it comes to the quantity and type of hantaran, it becomes a dilemma to some people on how to strike a balance between not be seen as cheapskate or a show-off. Therein lies the skill..

But I take your point... and I sure hope too that my sons meet with girls who have reasonable MOTHERS... hehe.

Thanks for dropping by and commenting. Hope you'd drop by again some more.

jurutera said...

Zaman you alls kan, tak ramai wanita berpendidikan tinggi atau bekerja (menarik income).. tak kira berapa banyak wang hantaran pun, si suami kena expect sara hidup bini sepanjang hayat ok..

Zaman sekarang, yang wang hantaran makin mahal, lebih2 lagi kalau perempuan itu berkelulusan tinggi atau bekerja/berpangkat tinggi, maka si perempuan ini ada pendapatan/potential pendapatan untuk keluarga. Maka, si suami dapat DISCOUNT seumur hidup!!

Katalah zaman sekarang, perempuan (A) lulusan SPM, hantaran dalam lingkungan RM1000-3000. Kalau perempuan (B) ada degree, misalannya sains/teknologi, wang hantaran lingkungan RM10,000.

Lagi murah (present value) berkahwin dengan perempuan (A), tapi nak menanggung makan/minum/pakai si bini seumur hidup.. Katalah RM [X] sebulan, sepanjang hayaaat..

Now bandingkan perempuan (B) yang ada degree dan bekerja, katalah berpendapatan $2000-3000 sebulan. Alhamdulillah, dah ringankan beban suami, discount $2-3 ribu sebulan. Dalam setahun, SATU tahun sahaja, dah dapat balik modal. Tahun kedua dah dapat profit.

Amacam? Investment ASB pun tak compare.. So actually kos perbelanjaan perkahwinan dengan calon (A) lebih mahal dari calon (B).

Make sense jugak kat Saudi ongkosnya tinggi +kereta+rumah semua sebab wanita Saudi tak berpeluang untuk mencari pendapatan...