eyephone said:
So how much money do you plan to make from the wedding? (Gross = money received, or net = money received minus expenses) I guess the expenses depends where you going to have it. (Asian restaurant or hotel or banquet hall) Or your wife's family going to pay for it)
eyephone - I like how I can have a meaningful adult conversation with you.
I don't like to brag about myself but if you have to ask, then I'll tell. Before I get into the detail, you must first understand and be schooled a little bit about how Chinese culture/tradition works. (I assume you may or may not be Chinese). I'll keep this very short for you.
1. Chinese people care about face. If I show up to your wedding or your kids wedding, you best come to my wedding or my kids wedding and drop the dough!
2. Immediate blood relatives are expected to drop more (in the thousands $. This is normal)
3. Only American people in their 20s-30s who are raised here stick to the standard $100 / per person gift.
4. You know there are always those uncles who will drop serious dough
We got two of those.
5. Chinese Parents will drop the biggest dough in gifts.
6. You don't have much say about who your parents will or will not invite. But they will certainly not invite cheapskates. They will invite people you've never met or even your old nanny who took care of you when you were 5.
7. Our families are expected to fly from Taiwan, Hong Kong, New Jersey, SF, NYC, just to attend.
I work in the engineering industry. If anything, engineers are cheap. I am selectively choosing who I invite. I tend to invite those who are married and more settled, than the typical 4 year out of college co-worker. So my side of the head count is low. I want to minimize loss on my side. But I assume my side of the friends will just pay $50 per head. I'm being conservative.
Secondly, we are doing Chinese Banquet wedding in San Gabriel Area. You know, they like to sell tables with the numbers 8 in it. Like $388, $468, $688, $888, $1388. We are doing the $888 one. ;D ;D
We are paying for the wedding banquet, BUT her parents are paying all the other miscellaneous wedding expenses. (Dresses, jewelry, bridesmaids stuff, dinner parties, bridal shower, alterations, you name it, etc)
So finally, I bring you the math. Head count is a very standard 200 people. The ones with the asterisks next to it could fluctuate. But the other ones we're VERY confident that those amounts will stick. Our parents have already told us, we can take the money ANYTIME. But I told them, we prefer to take it afterwards out of respect.
Sure there are other minor costs, flowers, DJ, etc.. We have friends doing those for us for free. I truly love the 626 when it comes to cheap.
Oh well, this money will end up in the hands of the Irvine Company for their overpriced SFH.